The Shining City

Ronald Reagan said “ I’ve spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don’t know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind, it was a tall proud city built on rocks stranger than oceans, wind-swept, God- blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace, a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity, and there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here, that’s how I saw it and still see it.”[ The wordy Shipmates p. 65]


The United States has been that sanctuary that anybody can go for help, or be safe within the countries wall. Living here may not always seem that great, because of going to school or work, but when the reality sets in that many children in the world don’t get and education and that many adults don’t have jobs. People come here for work and a better life, even if they have to sneak in. The United States is a safe haven.


“Winthrop said.” remarked Mondale, that “to be a shining city on the hill, we must strengthen, defend, preserve and comfort one another. We must rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together. We must knit together by a bond of love.” [P63 The Wordy Shipmate]


We still want to be that idealized “shining city” that even the first Europeans who set foot on this country wanted it to be. Truly nothing can be perfect, but we rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together. Sarah Vowell wrote about her experience in September 11, 2001, and how the entire country reacted. Everyone wanted to help as much as possible. 


When the flood happened and Waterbury, Vermont was destroyed the entire town, and even neighboring towns worked to rebuild and attain the peaceful balance that the town had once before. As I said, “nothing can be perfect” , but our towns, counties, states and country is knit together by a bond of  love.