Book Review - What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism by Dan Rather & Elliot Kirschner

 

What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism

by Dan Rather & Elliot Kirschner

I’ve been deriving great comfort from reading this book. Mr. Rather has lived through a significant portion of the 20^th century, and is able to share his experiences and perspectives from time spent thinking deeply about what he has seen and what it meant. Rather gives you a true sense of how far America has come in that time, what has been built up, and what is at stake as we move forward. It’s a tremendously valuable book right now.

“I profess no great wisdom other than as a chronicler with the exceptional fortune of having had a front-row seat to much of our country’s history. The issues I will raise are too big for any one voice to handle, and I hope my words will spark contemplation and discussion.”

At one point in the book, I felt a deep kinship with Rather as he enumerates questions. I often feel I have far more questions than answers. But it is that willingness to question and seek answers that lies at the root of patriotism when viewed as the goal of making the country you live in a good place to live for all. Identifying the good that needs protecting and the things that need to be improved is an essential part of stewardship anywhere.

“I have seen how a nation can pick itself up and make progress, even at divisive and dysfunctional political moments like the present when we seem to be spinning backward.”

That makes me think of the faltering steps of a baby learning to walk. The child even falls down at times, but it pulls itself up and, moves more steadily forward through trying again and again.

“Patriotism – active, constructive patriotism – takes work. It takes knowledge, engagement with those who are different from you, and fairness in law and opportunity. It takes coming together for good causes. This is one of the things I cherish most about the United States: We are a nation not only of dreamers, but also of fixers. We have looked at our land and people, and said, time and time again, “This is not good enough; we can be better.”

This takes dialogue, the willingness to engage, to disagree, and to debate the issues without throwing our hands up and walking away. We can’t agree to disagree, we have to find a common ground.

“From battlefields to segregated lunch counters, I have seen the cost of freedom and bravery. It is high.”

He talks about getting to know Medger Evers over the issue of the right for African Americans to vote. “He hated the system and the elected officials who manipulated it. But he saw most of his white neighbors as decent Christian people who were just horribly misguided on race. They had grown up in a system they never questioned and never really understood.”

That is an attitude we could use far more of in this country – not hating the people who vote differently, just considering them misguided. It would allow for far more dialogue to continue, at a kinder tone, and maybe we could find more common ground. Though, admittedly, it did not save Medger Evers.

Rather offers first hand accounts of the situations he talks about, along with a clear explanation of the forces in play, and there can be no better teacher than history, if we will only listen.

“When we live in a self-selected bubble of friends, neighbors, and colleagues, it is too easy to forget how important it is to try to walk in the shoes of others. Technology and social medica can be tools for connecting us, but I fear these advancements are in many ways deepening and hardening the divisions between us.”

I see this as well and I think it’s something we have to guard against.

I still have three chapters to read, but I’m already thinking about who I want to buy this book for, and recommend it to. The list is growing.