E Pluribus Unum

Out of many, one. Thirteen original States, one Federal Government. Over 330-million diverse citizens, one nation.

As we get closer to the Presidential election, many of my friends, colleagues and City Club members are concerned the fabric of our nation appears threadbare, and our American revolution seems to be at risk.

The Coronavirus, the deaths it is causing, and the dire financial effects it is having on our country’s economy is a burden we must carry together with grace. We should also learn to separate the signal from the noise, and the light from the heat, to be able to make sense of the difficult and occasionally violent times we are living in. This reminds me of a story told by our Civil War General and U.S. President, Ulysses S. Grant.

In Texas, during the Mexican-American War, Grant, then a lieutenant, accompanied by another officer, goes to investigate the howling of what sounded like a huge pack of wolves. When they arrived, they saw that: "There were just two of them; they had made all the noise we had heard. I have often thought of this incident since when I have heard the noises of a few disappointed politicians... There are always more of them before they are counted.”

Don’t fall for the apostles of doom and gloom; don’t listen to the merchants of negativity. While it is true that America is going through yet another cycle of death and rebirth, America is still the "Shining City upon a Hill” the whole world looks to as an example of what’s possible for human evolution.