OPTIMISM & DETERMINATION

As the ship of history sails deeper into the 21st century we can look back with a wider perspective on the previous century where our lives began. February 6 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ronald Reagan. It is considered conventional wisdom among historians that Reagan’s was one of the two most consequential presidencies of the 20th century, the other being Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Both men came to leadership when our nation faced horrific economic challenges and external threats that put the lives and safety of Americans at risk. Roosevelt came to power at a time when the entire financial system of the nation had collapsed and over a third of Americans were unemployed. Many citizens were forced into soup lines to feed their families. Even worse, mass-murderers had taken control of two of the largest military forces on earth, Japan and Germany, with clear intentions of world domination. The best response of Roosevelt’s doddering predecessor, Herbert Hoover, had been shrugged shoulders and wringing hands.

When Reagan was inaugurated in 1981, unemployment was in the double digits and the interest rate for purchasing a home (now 5%) was over 20%. Energy resources were growing more scarce by the day because of a crisis in the Middle East that led to the taking of 52 Americans as hostages for over a year. Though many may disagree ...and my purpose is not to spur a political debate... most modern historians regard his predecessor Jimmy Carter’s presidency as one of the most impotent in history.

Both Roosevelt and Reagan are credited with reshaping America during their terms in office, and with leaving office with the nation in a much different circumstance that it was in on the day of their first inaugurations.

How did these men accomplish this work in the face of such impossible odds? What are the common threads of their success?

It is certainly true that the world did not fix itself under their watches. Not only was the United States not the primary military power at the start of World War II, we weren’t even in the top five. Our task was to mobilize against the worst crisis the western world had faced in five centuries while in the throes of a paralyzing depression. Likewise, in 1981, the terrors of radical extremists, unemployment, energy crisis, and inflation were world-wide and unabating.

It is certainly true that Roosevelt and Reagan did not share a common political philosophy. Roosevelt used the power of government to accomplish his work and, in doing so, built the foundation of expansive government that continues to grow into the 21st century. Reagan, on the other hand, viewed government as “the problem, not the solution” and sought at every turn to diminish the role and power of government.

What they did share was a sense of optimism about the rightness of their cause and the exceptional nature of their American homeland. They also shared a determination that stood with uncompromising strength against any opposing force that the evils in the world could assail against them.

Roosevelt’s words from his 1933 inaugural address ring with great clarity: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” A modern translation might be “Okay, we have a tough situation here. Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to the work of fixing it.”

Fifty-two years later, Ronald Reagan stood at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, in plain view of the guard towers and electric fences where millions had been imprisoned and murdered by Communist regimes. His words of hope and determination were equally clear: “....if you believe in liberalization, come to this gate. Mr. Gorbechev, (General Secretary of the Soviet Union) come to this gate! Mr. Gorbechev, tear down this wall!”

Optimism and determination.

I have to believe that optimism and determination are traits that are mutually dependent upon each other. You may have a sunny disposition that will serve you well, but it does you no good unless you have the courage of conviction, and the determination of enterprise, to apply it to the questions of life. You can have all of the industry on earth, and unstoppable determination, but what does it matter if you do not believe with all your heart in the rightness of your cause and in the certainty of ultimate victory.

I believe that such a level of optimism and determination is needed now in the support of the arts, not only choral music, but symphony, ballet, opera, visual art, and literature.

The dumbing down of American culture seems at a critical state. Not in every area, but certainly in many, music education programs are being cut mercilessly to the detriment of families seeking well-rounded educations for their children. Even some churches have cashiered a thousand years of beauty and depth for tawdry entertainment music and personality cult. Funding for arts organizations, our own included, has never been more challenging.

These are struggles that are very real and very threatening.

But, in the same manner that Hitler and Hirohito’s armies fell to the determination of America and her allies, and the Cold War ended in the fall of the Soviet gulags and the Berlin Wall, there is no evil might in this world that can hold back the expressive power and the hopeful optimism enshrined in the arts.

I believe that the pursuit of truth and beauty, though often clouded by experience and polluted by popular culture, is woven into the core of our being as a part of our creation. Though it may become challenging to fund it and though it may become frustrating to promote it, there is no power on earth that can stop it.

Great leaders become great leaders because they set their sights on great things and they refuse to take “no” for an answer. Whatever slings and arrows come their way, their faith, determination, courage and optimism hold fast.

May it be so for us and for the Choral Foundation!

Soli Deo Gloria,
Bill