Tennis shoes treading ancient paths. Earbuds being removed to catch the whispers of past generations. Fingers skilled with game controllers stroking the banisters gripped by those who signed the Founding Documents. Eyes adapted to fast-moving images and flashes of bright colors viewing the faded ink of words that made a dream, reality. When past and present collide, a teacher can only ask, “Will there be a lasting impression made on their hearts?”
As I walked where the Founding Fathers walked; sat where they sat; and gazed upon the monuments and memorials dedicated to the lives and deaths of the patriots and heroes who changed the course of history, I was moved. I read the words of the giants of our land, words about honor, valor, education, etiquette, loyalty, integrity, justice, and virtue. These people lived what they believed; they lived in a time when great expectations were held for all men and those expectations were usually met.
We speak of these men with respect and we reflect with awe upon their accomplishments. Yet I challenge every citizen of the United States of America: do such accomplishments, expectations, and integrity of character have to be history? When past and present collide, the future can be made.
weeklythoughtexchange 
Great post and Amen!! Prayers for our nation, its leadership and our future leaders!
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Thank you! Please pass this on so that prayers and challenge can continue moving forward. 🙂
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I pray with you that it will not be a meaningless collision…but one with a hopefilled outcome for the glory of God and future for these United States of America…and beyond.
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Thank you! Your faithful prayers and support are very much appreciated.
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It is a challenge to understand history as something that actually happened which shaped the world we live in. Much of history involves war (politics by might) and these ideas come across as abstract to young people who do not have personal experience of war or devastation. History is being made right now and every day but we are unaware of most of it since it does not concern us.
Only in very recent times has it become possible for a nation to conduct war without it causing inconvenience to the people of that nation. This is the case with the United States. Kings have devalued their money supplies to pay for wars, taking silver coins out of circulation and replacing them with copper ones. Perhaps the Federal Reserve is doing the same for us today, except that we don’t notice it since the same paper money passes through our hands now as in the past. Our taxes have not been raised through the roof since it is politically unpopular to do so. Our politicians opt instead to issue trillions of dollars in debt (printing money), which does not lead to massive protests in the streets. Our young men have not been conscripted to deal with the (supposedly) existential crises that our nation has faced in recent years. In contrast, South Korea, Israel, and until recently Germany have used conscription to share the burdens of national defense evenly among the populace.
The Founding Fathers warned us of the dangers of standing armies in a nation that is at peace. Perhaps that is why we are now in a perpetual state of war– so that we might have a standing army. But if the United States is at war, then the illusion of peacetime that we currently enjoy needs to be shattered. There should be rationing of food and resources and issuance of war bonds. There should be national days of public humiliation and prayer (look it up) and fasting. I mention these things as ways that a nation can get its people (and God!) involved in the making of history.
I hope the monuments and architecture cause people to hunger to learn about the circumstances that led to their creation. They aren’t of any use otherwise.
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I do hope our citizens, both young and hold, will long to learn more about what it means to be an American citizen. I am saddened that we are drifting farther and farther away from the values that made us great. As we drift from those values, we will have less of an idea about what is worth fighting for. I am sure that the families of those fighting our distant battles have given much thought to the cost; unfortunately, if our nation doesn’t maintain those values, the cost will seem too high.
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