Me First

"Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country." - President John F. Kennedy

Most of the early America settlers had one of two motives: religious freedom or profit. I’ll talk more about profits tomorrow. Today let’s look at religion in the colonies. It is quite ironic that every school child is taught the story of the Pilgrims as the shining example of a people traveling to America for religious freedom. Yes, the Pilgrims of Plymouth Plantation fled oppression and tyranny in the Old Country; but they brought new tyranny with them to the New World. Most every settlement created a charter of rules and regulations and selected or had appointed a strong leader and line of authority. This is not necessarily bad – in fact it was needed for survival. Because of the many “gentlemen” and servants at Jamestown, VA, who had never experienced harsh manual labor (and didn’t want to either), the leader John Smith had to be harsh and proclaimed the rule, if you don’t work, you don’t get fed.

But the tyranny I’m thinking of is not the leaders; it’s a closed minded people and a culture of intolerance - the hypocrisy of Pilgrims refusing to tolerate any religion but their own. They excommunicated independent thinkers and killed anyone who dared to worship differently, like Quakers or Salem “witches”. After being exiled by the Massachusetts Bay Colony for his views in 1644, Roger Williams moved next door and founded the “Rhode Island and Providence Plantations", a settlement for religious freedom and neutrality with all (including the Indians). The free people of Rhode Island represent the best of America and were the first to declare Independence from England and the last of the 13 colonies to sign the constitution (holding out until the Bill of Rights was promised.)

Another American pioneer of freedom for everyone was William Penn. (Recall he and his wife are 2 of only 6 persons granted Honorary American Citizenship.) He established the Colony of Pennsylvania (named by the King after William’s father, the elder Penn.) and drafted a charter of liberties for the settlement creating a political utopia guaranteeing trial by jury, freedom of religion, freedom from unjust imprisonment and free elections. Penn vowed that he would not exploit either the native Indians or the immigrants. He established a legal framework for an ethical society where power was derived from the people, from “open discourse”, in much the same way a Quaker Meeting was run. The new colonial government would safeguard the rights of private property and free enterprise, and impose taxes fairly. The death penalty was limited to two crimes, treason and murder, rather than the two hundred crimes under English law. But not everything was tolerated, even in the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia. The laws of behavior were rather Puritanical: swearing, lying, and drunkenness were forbidden as well as “idle amusements” such as stage plays, gambling, revels, masques, cock-fighting, and bear-baiting.

Bottom Line

I suppose it is a common human failing to think “freedom for me but not for thee”. I often think back to a portion of Pier Anthony’s series, “Incarnations of Immortality”. The character, Father Time, is forced to go through a series of trials to visit Mother Nature. As a walker he’s pissed that he’s nearly run over by a bicycle and car. As a biker and driver he’s annoyed at a pedestrian who gets in his way. Mother Nature later points out that he was the walker, biker and driver interacting with himself from three different viewpoints. He wanted the right-of-way in each instance and refused to be tolerant of others.

I’m reminded of this when I am cut off by another car or get angry with someone else on the road. Should “me first” apply only to me? Can I fault another when they act just like I want to?

It’s sad that much of American history, early and modern, is driven by the “me first” or “I’m always right” attitude instead of respecting the value and worth of others like Native Americas, women, or persons of a different national origin or different skin tone. It’s incredible that the Land of Religious Freedom has oppressed Quakers, Catholics, Mormons and others for their beliefs. Have "we the people" learned from our country's past mistakes? I don't think so. Just look at the intolerance now between the liberals and the conservatives and attempts by each side to silence debate, vilify individuals, and condemn opponents. No sign of respect for different points of view.