Think About It

When we look back at the American Experiment, I think we tend to take too many things for granted. We have seen our democratic republic flourish over the years, but it was still an uncertainty when it began. I find it interesting to go back and listen to the wisdom of the founding fathers. The other day I came across a quote from John Adams who is purported to have said, “Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge of the people.”. As I think about this observation a couple of things come to mind. First is the need for a general education and the second is the importance of civics. Adams seems to teach us that we must have a basic knowledge of how the world works – and we must understand how our government should (and does) function. We can wander through our world fat, dumb and happy – but that ignorance isn’t going to last too long before we will either become lost or misled. As I thought about this, I saw a parallel in religion. No, there is no way that we can th