We Cannot Afford Alternatives

 

I don't know how I missed it, but Theodore Hesburgh (pictured above) recently wrote a very interesting article for the Washington Post entitled "The U.S. Can't Turn Its Back On Peace". For those of you out there who might have no idea who this man is, you can read his wikipedia page, or let me give you a brief overview.

• He is currently president emeritus of the University of Notre Dame
• He was the president of the University of Notre Dame for over 35 years, from 1952-1987 (longest tenure yet!)
• He served on the Civil Rights Commission (yup, that one) since 1957, and has served as chairman since 1969
• One of my favorite quotes from him is "Education is one of the few things people are willing to pay for and not get."
• He speaks multiple languages- at least 5... fluently.

During his life, he was sent to Italy by his seminary and stayed in Rome until he was forced to leave by the outbreak of WWII. I remember when I was at Notre Dame, he would always welcome students to his study and, if you didn't want to talk, he would ask you to read to him, as his sight was going. He asked me numerous times what nationality I was, and would often respond to my answer by offering a "Ni hao." and a smile. He would often tell great stories, and I remember my friend C and I would sometimes go to his study where he would read, sometimes in Italian, and I would listen to the stories that Father Hesburgh and C would share.

The picture above is Father Hesburgh with Martin Luther King. It's probably one of my favorite pictures. While I was at Notre Dame, we got the administration to hang it in La Fortune, our student center.In light of his life, it is unsurprising that he wrote such a heartfelt piece in the Washington Post. If you have the time, I would recommend reading Father Hesburgh's letter- he basically states that although there is a need for a balanced budget, this is not the time for the U.S. to be cutting back on the institutions that specialize in progressing peaceful initiatives. His belief is that in a time where globalization is such an extensive part of all of our lives, even small conflicts can spiral into serious wars. His parting statement is

"We must, as a nation, show courage, steadiness of purpose and commitment to core principles. We cannot afford the alternatives."

When I reflect on his words I am reminded of how lucky my generation has been- even with the economic recession we have never had to face the wars and the hardship that our families faced. I am grateful for that, and it is a good reminder that life is much larger than we often think it is, living in our microcosms of work, school, more work and tiny snippets of weekends. So today, I'm taking a moment to give thanks that, although not perfect, I was born into a life where I am much safer and happier than many other people in the world. Particularly with the recent earthquake and subsequent damage in Japan, it is important that we think outside of ourselves and reach out to others to see how we can help. 

Because we must show courage, steadiness of purpose and commitment to core principles- we cannot afford the alternatives.

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