It is the best $1.95 you’ll ever spend — buying America:  The Pocket Guide published by Colonial Williamsburg.  You’re forced to remember that “America” is as much an idea as a place.  America-the-place is where America-the-idea happened.  And that, it is meant to be a place of  tensions and conflicts — such as, between Laws vs Ethics . . . or between Unity vs Diversity . . . or between Common Wealth vs Private Wealth . . . or between Freedom vs Equality.

These tensions don’t co-exist easily, but they have co-existed for centuries because “Democratic minds do not see the world in terms of ‘either-or.’  The democratic mind is more sophisticated, constantly seeking a way to balance and reconcile values that seem to be at odds with other.”  In other words, the inevitable conflicts are resolved in a reasonable fashion among reasonable people.

I hope that is still true, but my faith is being tested . . . my faith that America-the-place still deserves America-the-idea.

In addition, I recall an old professor during my freshman year of college saying you cannot understand America without understanding two things.  The first is the tension between Majority Rule vs Minority Rights.  As an example, just because Democrats won the last Presidential election, they cannot limit the rights of Republicans.  Likewise, just because the majority of Americans want improved control over gun usage, they cannot limit the rights of either gun-owners or even gun-nuts.  (Of course, different people perceive threats differently.)

The second thing my professor emphasized as essential to understanding America is our peaceful transfer of power.   As in 2009, it is a time when one set of leaders voluntarily hands power to another set of leaders.  While the majority of voters authorized the same set of leaders to retain power this year, I’m confident that the magic moment of America-the-democracy will happen again 2017.

Privately, I am more than slightly worried that one of my fellow gun-lovers will use the majesty of a Presidential inauguration to “re-claim” some perceived loss of his rights.  I’m worried that “1776 will commence again” as the noted far-right-wing radio personality, Alex Jones, recently threatened.  All I can say is . . . God bless the Secret Service!

If America-the-idea is to survive, the diversity of opinion cannot devolve into a polarity of right vs wrong.  Colonial Williamsburg did us a favor by writing such a splendid little booklet.  They also provide a civilized forum to debate in a civil, non-polarized, fashion at www.icitizenforum.com .  Let your inner-intellectual out for awhile . . . use it!

And, thank you, Chuck Redding, for reminding me of the gift that is Williamsburg!