I am Thankful for my Fathers.
I am Thankful for my Fathers.
Friends and Family
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Our Founding Fathers are polarizing figures today. Some on both the right and left focus on their failings rather than their successes. However, I do not believe our founders would be surprised. They understood the nature of man as well as any mortal could— it’s easy to point out failures rather than to understand and forgive, and no person is flawless. They didn’t live in a fantasy world where they were the creator of the universe but rather a world where they were but servants to their communities. They were humble in search of answers, looking all around, from the ashes of Rome to the shores of His Majesty. They were patient in pursuing their ideas; they did not bully their fellow citizens into submission but created spaces for debate with them. This year, as I look around at our world, on fire with passion and ego, I am thankful for the men who risked their lives to build a space for my family's life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.
I am thankful for our founding fathers because they secured our families' liberty by creating a government that balanced the nature of man with our reason—giving us rights in return for carrying out the responsibility of governing ourselves and securing power for each citizen of the union.
Our power is secured through a system of layered republics that divides, separates, and balances the power of our population while also serving as a communication mechanism to the different factions of society. This creates a stronger union both domestically and internationally because it allows for more information to be taken into account. Domestically, it allows everybody a say in the decision-making process internationally because information is power. Sure, it’s not perfect, but it's better than constant war, which is what our founders lived through. For perspective, since the ratification of our constitution in 1787, creating our government of republics, France has gone through 16 constitutions and is now on their fifth republic.
Clearly, our fathers weren’t perfect— they had their flaws. As George Mason said during the debate in the federal convention, “Every master of slaves is born a petty tyrant.” But they understood the importance of history and debate. And they left us so much of it for us to review. It’s not our place to judge our fathers, for we could never know what they know, nor could any single judgment apply to all of them. Our place is to listen to them, use the virtues they instilled in us, and try to learn from their mistakes.
So, as I sit here surrounded by the Federalist papers, Madison’s notes of debates in the Federal Convention, binders full of letters written back and forth between Madison, Jefferson, Adams, and others, I am thankful not only for the record they left us but also the opportunity to learn from them. Never in history has so much history been available to so many. Even a 38-year-old dad who struggled to graduate high school can go from barely reading to getting published in only a few years with resources available to every citizen. I am thankful for the opportunity our fathers secured for us.
However, few men ever do anything on their own, and I am no exception. I am thankful for friends and family who have supported me over the years. My wife supports me in so many ways, from reading my first drafts to running my business. My kids help carry books, knock on doors, file papers, and print and organize court documents. My mom watches the kids at a moment’s notice, buys books, and helps with all the curveballs life throws. My father taught me how to work and survive. My coworkers help carry more responsibility at the office. My friends are always there for guidance, to edit a draft, and a laugh.
I am also thankful for Park Valley Church and my small group full of kind, thoughtful men. With their help, I have built a stronger relationship with my Father in heaven. It’s him who called to me and sent me on this new path. I am thankful for my relationship with God without him, nothing would be possible.
I am thankful for you, the reader–anyone who listens. It’s humbling to think I deserve your attention. Who am I? I am nobody, really. But week after week, I ask for you to follow me. I do so because I believe in something; I believe that we can govern ourselves if we have the opportunity, and it’s not that the opportunity isn’t there. It’s that it’s off balance. With your help, we can balance it.
I have learned a lot from our fathers over the past few years. Everyone is a follower, but not everyone is a leader. To be a good leader, one needs to follow the right people. Our founders taught me we need more leaders to secure opportunities for citizens, and if you are interested in becoming one, let me share some people to follow.
For Faith and Reason, follow Adam Dove at It’s That Simple: Faith, Love, Family, and Stephen Kent at Geeky Stoics. For political information, history, and debate, follow Tyler Syck and the crew at the Vital Center, Justin Stapely and the crew at the Freeman News-Letters, and H.W. Brands. For political takes, follow Matt Lewis, Tim Carney, and Tim Alberta.
If you want to learn how to make a difference at the citizen level, follow John and me here at Politics and Parenting.
I am thankful to all my fathers for carving my path, guiding me to it, and teaching me how to lead others.
Peace & Love,
Jeff Mayhugh
“Ambition must be made to counteract ambition” –– James Madison, Federalist 51