Boston is one city that all Americans should experience. It overflows with voices from our past: ordinary people who lived, breathed, and fought for freedom. As I walked around the city, American History came alive when I saw Old North Church, Paul Revere's statue, and other places that evoked the Boston Tea Party, the Midnight Ride, and Lexington and Concord.
Our hotel, being located in the midst of these historical sites, contained a series of wall panels with important quotes about liberty, justice, and the Common Good.
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| How do you make good use of your freedom? ~ ~ Click on image to enlarge ~ ~ (Photo: John Adams, Boston Harborside Inn - Larry Gardepie) |
I have been reflecting on these wall panels over the past several weeks:
- Do we listen to the lessons of previous generations?
- Are we able -- or willing -- to change our current course?
- What inspires us to work for the good of others?
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| Do your actions inspire others? ~ ~ Click on image to enlarge ~ ~ (Photo: John Quincy Adams, Boston Harborside Inn - Larry Gardepie) |
What troubles me about the recent violence and rhetoric? We are no longer involved in Civil Discourse. Leaders and representatives from our earliest foundations disagreed on how to move forward, but they tried to engage in constructive, respectful, and productive conversations. Yes, they represented diverse colonies and interests, but they learned to listen to the needs of the other colonists as well.
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| What can you do for our country now? ~ ~ Click on image to enlarge ~ ~ (Photo: John F. Kennedy, Boston Harborside Inn - Larry Gardepie) |
This engagement carried responsibilities that future leaders understood: to perfect this imperfect union (Inspiration); to ask what you can do for others (Service); to learn to live together (Community).
These values and other truths became self-evident.
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| Are we living together or perishing? ~ ~ Click on image to enlarge ~ ~ (Photo: Martin Luther King, Jr., Boston Harborside Inn - Larry Gardepie) |
Questions we may want to consider in the weeks ahead:
- Do I (we) listen to voices that divide... and why?
- Am I (we) living in fear of others... and why?
- How can I (we) listen and work toward healing?
As John Adams asks of us: Do we understand how much our freedom cost previous generations? Are we making good use of that freedom?
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| Larry Gardepie
Dialogue San Diego Consulting
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