There Were Giants In The Land In Those Days

Genesis 6:4 speaks of a time when "there were giants in the land." I want to take that verse out of context and apply it in a totally different way. In the 18th century America there were giants in the land. These men were children of the Enlightenment and each one reflected that in his life and thinking. Some were farmers by trade while others were lawyers; some were bankers while others were craftsmen. They came from all walks of life but they had one thing in common . . . they were all influenced by the Enlightenment and they all wanted a new government.

I sometimes wonder how it is that in 1776 when the population in America was barely 3 million people the country could produce so many giants: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Adams, John Hancock, Alexander Hamilton and a dozen or more lessor but certainly outstanding lights and our day of 320 million people we cannot produce one.

We should not pretend that the founding fathers were men who were monolithic in their thinking and/or actions. You know, as my uncle used to say about caves, "you seen one cave, you've seen them all." As already stated they were "children of the Enlightenment" but they were each one their own distinct person. No two of them were the same. They didn't created the Constitution because the all thought alike but in spite of the fact they didn't think alike. They created this magnificent document because they worked together to achieve a common end.

Now don't misunderstand. We have smart people in our day. Some are even Rhodes Scholars, most have done well financially and many have generous hearts and all the other virtues that we see as desirable qualities in our leaders. But even with all this there are no giants. Why don't we have any giants in the land in our time?

With all their differences the men who forged our Constitution were first and foremost Patriots. Though they often disagreed politically and in some cases ideologically they never accursed each other of being less of an Patriot because of it. Some of them leaned toward the traditional English model; some came from a religious backgrounds; others were decidedly secularists but, none were exclusionist. Hence on the big issues they could work together to find a way.

What do we do . . .we throw rocks at each other. We denigrate those who don't agree with our positions and our way of thinking We call them bad Americans or worse yet declare they are not true Americans. We draw lines in the sand on every single issue and have the audacity to insist that everyone has to bend to our way of thinking. If they don't we question their patriotism.

I propose that what what we need today are some giants. Some congressmen and Senators who will stop checking which way the political wind is blowing and act with courage and integrity and do what is best for the nation. We need elected representatives who will lay aside their ideologies, political parties, and personal welfare and work together for the good of the nation. These are crucial times and we need some statesmen who will put their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor on line, roll up their sleeves and go to work for the welfare of the nation.

I believe that when our congressmen become statesmen and stand up and lead the nation will follow. When this happens there will once more be giants in the land and the nation will proper and the people will rejoice. Until then we must continue to wonder. "were are the giants for our time?"

By the Way, do you realize that the United States of America was the first and perhaps only nation that was a created a state before it became a nation. These giants of the 18th century wrote a decidedly secular document, the Constitution, that created a state and then set about creating a nation called America and a people called Americans from a hodgepodge of people. We have been doing that ever since, i.e., creating Americans.