Stephen Stills wrote “For What It Is Worth” in 1967 for his band, “Buffalo Springfield.” Hardly anyone can remember the title of the song, but they sure can remember the opening line.
“There’s something happening here. What it is ain’t exactly clear.”
I was talking recently with a young man far more liberal than me when he sprung this surprise on me: “Guess what, Mr. Hill, I am joining naval intelligence!”
After years of hearing young Democrats talk about how bad America is and how much they hated Donald Trump, I could have been knocked over by a feather after hearing this news, especially in the wake of the American/Israeli attacks on Iran.
He said his father came to the United States after fighting the communist takeover in South Vietnam and met his mother, whose father also fought with the Americans for South Vietnamese freedom. They were granted naturalized citizenship status due to legislation passed by Congress. They knew firsthand what the communist regime would bring to South Vietnam and taught their children how unique and important American freedom was and would be to their lives.
“My parents taught me to be a patriot,” he went on to say. “I see this time as one in which I can bring my computer and technical experience and education to bear on something that is very important not only to my state and nation but to my wife and the children we hope to have one day.”
There’s always a time when the placid utopian dreams of youth get challenged by the realities of life. It seems like that time is now for millions of millennials and Gen Zers as they face the challenges of raising a family, buying a home, starting a business or keeping their job, and deciding what type of nation in which they want to live to be able to do all they want to do in this life to the fullest of their ability.
At a time when so many young people are so vocal about their hatred of America and basic American values such as the rule of law, his comments brought up a well of gratitude and emotion in me that was unexpected and warmly welcomed and received. It also reminded me of the dozens of young men we know who are now serving in the military somewhere around the world, sons of people we know well, each of whom voluntarily joined the military out of a sense of personal patriotism and sense of duty for the future of this country.
So all is not lost, despite what we may see on the daily news and on social media. These young people who are serving in the military today are true heroes and will be viewed as such by future generations who will thank them for their honorable service.
Thomas Cahill wrote a series of books he called “The Hinges of History” in which he examined the impact of various cultures on human development and progress. “Hinges” connotes the sense of doors opening and closing throughout history. The problem is no one in the past ever knew for sure if they or their ideas and forms of government or religious beliefs would pass through the history door and succeed on the other side.
Is America going through one of those “hinges” in history right now?
Not only is this a question for the younger generations of Americans, but it is a challenge for every older American to answer as well. Is the America we inherited from our forefathers and parents the America we are going to be able to pass on to our children and grandchildren?
Not all of us can join the military as my young friend is doing. However, each of us can determine the shape of the government that will mold the future by how we vote in the coming election and by which candidate and party we support with our money and participation. Representative democracy is not a passive endeavor like watching flowers grow in a meadow. It requires a lot of guts and courage, and a willingness to engage and educate those who have been force-fed the lie that America is the worst civilization the world has ever known.
Just ask anyone who has lived under or fought communist regimes or experienced the oppression of the radical Islamist clerics now removed from Iran — they will tell a much different story. Perhaps they will be the leaders who will help shape America’s future once we pass through this hinge in history.
