Poetry Drop: Born Free
The Conductor: An Inspirational Story
I wrote the first draft of this poem on Wednesday, sitting in a park in DC, waiting to attend the last of the America’s Future’s fellowship I have been a part of. I sat on it until Friday, trying to figure out what it was. Was it the beginning of an essay, a section of an op-ed, or a poem?
As I typed it up on Friday night, it became clear that it was a poem. I edited it, organized it, and then sat on it until Saturday morning. Then I read it aloud, edited it again, and here we are.
These are words I have spoken and thought about a lot in the past. Scattered in unfinished drafts and long-forgotten poems. Now, they are here, they are organized and ready to read.
Born Free.
Everything is a tool, a toy, or a weapon.
Everyone is both good and bad.
Man is free — free to cooperate, free to build, free to fight, free to destroy.
Man is imperfect.
Sometimes we forget.
We know what we know,
and we grow angry at those who do not.
We judge. We condemn. We struggle to forgive.
But when we forgive, sin is overpowered by virtue.
When we take the time to learn what others know, we grow.
Good prevails, and freedom flourishes.
Walking down the street, every passerby could be a friend or an enemy.
An assassin, a monster, a maniac, or a future brother, cousin, or mentor.
If we decide they are the enemy, a wall goes up.
How can a friend be made behind a wall?
Walls create division.
They breed misunderstanding and suspicion.
Time hardens resentment.
One side knows one thing; the other knows something different.
But they do not share.
When conflict comes,
each side points the finger over the wall,
armed only with what they know.
Blind to what they don't.
Toys become tools.
Tools become weapons.
Knowledge is weaponized.
Man leans bad.
Isolating out of fear.
Destruction sets in.
But what happens if someone dares to climb the wall?
Instead of fighting, they cooperate.
Instead of destroying, they build.
Man is free to choose.
Who do we want to be?
Who do we want to follow?
Will we be led by fear and isolation?
Or by love and community?
As I mentioned, I wrote the poem at a park in DC. Before then, I was sitting in a coffee shop reading The Conductor by Caleb Franz. It’s about John Rankin, a Presbyterian minister and conductor on the Underground Railroad. His Letters on Slavery, written with a feeling of betrayal after learning his brother Thomas had purchased slaves, were the intellectual foundation for the abolitionist movement. Rankin’s story is an important one in American history; I highly recommend reading the book for anyone trying to bring the country together. (If you want to read it with me, make sure you subscribe and look out for the book club starting soon.)
I had Caleb on to discuss The Conductor last year, check it out here if you want to learn more. For those who join the book club Caleb will be on again for a Q & A later this year.
He does a great job laying the foundation for the pro slavey and anti-slavery movements starting at the founding and then the pinballing of events leading up to the Civil War. One side saw the Constitution as a pro slavery document, and the other saw it as an anti-slavery document. They were both right to an extent. The nature of the compromise of the document meant that all the major interests got something they wanted.
The pro slavery forces repeatedly tried to isolate and terrorize the anti slavery forces. In Congress, they passed the gag rule, and using the executive department, the postmaster censored the mail. They claimed to be asserting their state rights to own people; however, they were using federal power to infringe the rights of citizens from other states.
The book covers the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which was influenced by Thomas Jefferson, drawing on the principles of the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal. The Ordinance prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territory. It helps us understand that while our founders were imperfect and participated in the sinfulness of slavery, they recognized their mistake and carved a new path. They wanted to isolate slavery so it would not spread; they hoped continued education would lead people away from it. But education became difficult when the pro slavery forces started to restrict the right of speech and representation that is foundational to our republic.
Instead of following the new path, the slaveholders clung to their power. When they felt threatened, they sought to extend it, weaponizing information to achieve their means. When they failed, they sought destruction.
As I walked to the park from the coffee shop, I thought about how polarized we are and how much negativity is going around. I thought if the slaveholders would just let people explain how life could be better without slavery, then maybe we wouldn't have had the Civil War. If they just took the time to know what the other side knew, and not fight to silence them.
I think we, as Americans, have struggled to forgive ourselves for these mistakes, and in the process, sometimes we lump everyone involved into the bad pile. We forget that for slavery to be eradicated, it was done by people building and cooperating, not fighting and destroying. People decided to be better and then tried to bring everyone else along with them. They didn’t try to force them; they tried to persuade them.
John Rankin forgave his brother, and Thomas listened to John and sold his slaves. Were there others who used too heavy a hand? Sure. But you have to understand they only knew what they knew then, and not what we know now.
I think we need people who think deeper about the problems we face. We need people who look to build rather than destroy, people who look to cooperate rather than fight. Making the other side the enemy is not a path we want to go down again. We need to get together in a room and have some tough conversations.
I think we need to ask ourselves, what do we want to be, and who do we want to follow? And then we need regular people like John Rankin, his family, and the people of Ripley, Ohio, to lead. Spreading good wherever they go. Trying to help more people achieve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Peace & Love,
Jeff Mayhugh