Creating Tolerance and World Peace

Posts Tagged ‘Public knowledge’

Ronald Reagan was an American enigma. He is remembered for inadequacies and triumphs in office. So are most presidents. If you were Republican at the time, you loved him. Democrats, likely despised the man. There were reasons for the feelings on both sides.

Four quotes attributed to him make the enigma clear:

“Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty.”

“Before I refuse to take your questions, I have an opening statement.”

“All waste in a year from a nuclear power plant can be stored under a desk.”

“All great change in America begins at the dinner table.”

Some of his statements may inflame you. Others may bring tears to your eyes and yet some simply make you laugh, causing you to realize he had a sense of humor, distinct flaws, rightful desires and clear misdirection. He had a habit of making statements that showed a great deal of wisdom and character and then made decisions that showed the opposite. He was human.

History tends to mount up memories of things that are negative. People remember how much Ronald Reagan’s daughter despised him. We do not know the total picture of events between Ronald and his family on a personal level and yet we tend to think that public knowledge is irrefutable. That is a dangerous practice. Public knowledge is not always correct knowledge.

History, if written, eventually becomes set in stone for the student. We think Gandhi was a saint. We believe from the deepest of our hearts that Walter Cronkite would have been the best grandpa on the planet and we are absolutely certain that Richard Nixon WAS a crook.

Look at the entire picture before you judge. If evidence is available to give you a more complete picture, look at all the evidence. You do not have to agree with decisions made by Reagan or Nixon. You don’t have to feel bad if you thought that Huntley and Brinkley were better news casters than Cronkite. But you need to allow all of them to be human.