What Does Sane Nationalism Look Like?

In a 29 December 1988 Universal House of Justice letter addressed to the Followers of Baha’u’llah in the United States of America, they wrote: The extraordinary capacities of the American nation, as well as the superb stewardship of the Bahá’í community within it, have repeatedly been extolled in the writings of our Faith. In His Tablets and utterances, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Center of the Covenant, projected a compelling vision of the world-embracing prospects of that richly endowed country. “The American nation,” He averred, “is equipped and empowered to accomplish that which will adorn the pages of history, to become the envy of the world, and be blest in both the East and the West for the triumph of its people.” In another assertion addressed to the Bahá’í community itself, He uttered words of transcendent importance: “… your mission,” He affirmed, “is unspeakably glorious. Should success crown your enterprise, America will assuredly evolve into a center from which waves of spiritual power will emanate, and the throne of the Kingdom of God will, in the plenitude of its majesty and glory, be firmly established.”

   Any appearance of greatness in any nation devolves upon the abilities, talents and above all, the goals, of its peoples and leaders. Americans are hard workers, with some of the longest working hours of any developed nation. They are generous in the extreme to worthy causes and support other nations as well with aid. America has problems though, some deep like institutionalized prejudice, and a narrow view of world affairs outside its own borders. Yet American values of peace and prosperity are shared the world over, and traditionally America has upheld the rights of democracy and of freedom of expression in religion and speech to name a few. Americans are rightfully proud of those ideals.

   In America, civil leaders at all levels, local, state and federal, are democratically elected by secret ballot in a majority two-party system firmly entrenched. Those of us here just endured an election cycle full of name-calling, fact-bending, and some outright slurs on candidates of the other party. This occurred on both sides. It is debilitating for any rational person to watch or hear and not doubt the qualities of any would-be leader to govern effectively and justly. It is not acceptable and has to change.

   One hotly contested election was in 1960, between Republican candidate Richard Nixon and Democrat John F. Kennedy. I remember being 10-years-old watching their debate on our small-screen  black and white TV, live. As voting results poured in on Tuesday, November 8, I listened with my Mom to Walter Conkrite until the late hours when a narrow victory was accorded to JFK. It was the first time all 50 states had participated.

   President Kennedy was assassinated by a rifleman three years later in Dallas while riding in a motorcade with his wife Jackie and Texas Governor John Connolly and his wife. In some ways the country still mourns his untimely and cruel death.

   The following is an excerpt from the speech he planned to give the night he was fatally shot:

   Finally, I said in Lubbock [Texas] in 1960, as I said in every other speech in this State, that if Lyndon Johnson and I were elected, we would get this country moving again. That pledge has been fulfilled. In nearly every field of national activity, this country is moving again — and Texas is moving with it. From public works to public health, wherever Government programs operate, the past 3 years have seen a new burst of action and progress — in Texas and all over America. We have stepped up the fight against crime and slums and poverty in our cities, against the pollution of our streams, against unemployment in our industry, and against waste in the Federal Government. We have built hospitals and clinics and nursing homes. We have launched a broad new attack on mental illness and mental retardation. We have initiated the training of more physicians and dentists. We have provided 4 times as much housing for our elderly citizens, and we have increased benefits for those on social security.

   Almost everywhere we look, the story is the same. In Latin America, in Africa, in Asia, in the councils of the world and in the jungles of far-off nations, there is now renewed confidence in our country and our convictions.

   For this country is moving and it must not stop. It cannot stop. For this is a time for courage and a time for challenge. Neither conformity nor complacency will do. Neither the fanatics nor the faint-hearted are needed. And our duty as a party is not to our party alone, but to the Nation, and, indeed, to all mankind. Our duty is not merely the preservation of political power but the preservation of peace and freedom.

   So let us not be petty when our cause is so great. Let us not quarrel amongst ourselves when our Nation’s future is at stake. Let us stand together with renewed confidence in our cause–united in our heritage of the past and our hopes for the future — and determined that this land we love shall lead all mankind into new frontiers of peace and abundance.

Transcript excerpt from John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum