“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function. One should, for example, be able to see that things are hopeless and yet be determined to make them otherwise.” F. Scott Fitzgerald.
This is truly the essence of the American spirit. Wasn't it hopeless that this backwater outpost of Europe, populated by outcasts and misfits, would throw off the yoke of tyranny and establish a republic? Wasn't it hopeless to take on imperial Japan and NAZI Germany when the rest of the world was crumbling? Wasn't it hopeless to stare down the USSR when communism was clearly the destiny of the world?
Today we are confronting a seemingly overwhelming number of challenges - terror, stagflation, institutional collapse, corrupt and ineffective government, gridlock, a loss of faith, and others. Hopeless indeed. But we have proven we can overcome the challenges, so long as we are determined to do so.
For more on the spirit of America, visit Patriot Week and Americas Survival Guide.
"Keep the Faith. Lose the doubt. Strive on. Never give up." ~ Ruth A Cod
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