Brain Droppings: Do you know your history?

Do you remember Thomas Paine from your history books. No? Yes, you do. He's the so-called Founding Father who wrote of "the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot". Ah, now! Do you know where this snippet comes from? It's particularly apropos today. It's from the opening paragraph of the first in a series of pamphlets he wrote during the American Revolution and cover the period 1776-1783. The series was called "The American Crisis". The paragraph from which those words were taken is among the most brilliant and inspirational ever written in the English language. It starts as follows:

"These are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in the crisis, shrink from the service of their country: but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and women. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain to cheap, we esteem too lightly."

Now, before all of you "Tea Partyers" start going crazy saying "this is our mantra", this is EVERY Americans mantra. It just depends on your POV. We ALL must be vigilant about our duties and responsibilities as American citizens. These are words for people to live by.

But there's more to Paine's story. And this part strikes right to the heart of those who claim our Founding Fathers created this country as a "Christian" one based on "traditional Christian values". In can well be said that these men had a strong sense of spirituality but most resisted framing the workings of government within a single, organized religion. Again, Paine brilliantly captured this approach with his "The Age of Reason" (1793-94). In it his says this:

I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish Church, by the Roman church, by the Greek Church, by the Turkish Church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church".

Once again, in just 2 sentences, he brilliantly captures the true American spirit. We must be undeterred by those who tell us we must think this way, act this way, or worship this way. To be an American is to be free of thought and free of spirit. Government has no role in this except in its defense of our ability to choose our own path within the bounds of a truly free society.

Interestingly, and ironically, Tom Paine was shunned for his brilliant defense of a rational, thinking society. When he died in 1809, no Christian church would allow his burial on their grounds. So, he was buried on his farm in New Rochelle, NY. Only 6 people were in the funeral procession - two of them were free blacks. It seems tragic, but, somehow, in the end, I don't think he would have minded. In fact, I bet he was pleased!

photo: F LoBuono Caption: Campaign worker, Haverstraw, NY