One of the things that I love about history is how it can be debated, how open to interpretation it remains, as if it was a poem to be dissected mercilessness with all the subtly that a high school English class process's. But one thing that disturbs me is revisionist history, making up facts and presenting them as historical facts. It is slightly disturbing, and it continues to happen without much of a public response.
The founding fathers of our nation are given near Olympian status, we forget that they were but men with many faults, who never claimed to be gods and were more then ready to declare their own human frailty and did realize that to err is to be human. They could not create a perfect system but they endeavored to create one that would produce the greatest possible results, and the methods to check it should it ever overstep it's bounds.
If we acknowledge this simple fact then we can be better citizens, and better people, enrich our society in the way that truly matters. We can live in a land ruled by virtue should we so chose, without a terror, for the informed citizen is the citizen who process's virtue. It is in this aspect in which I do b believe Robespierre to be incorrect. Virtue without terror is not powerless, for the enlightened citizen is the citizen who will safeguard the republic.
No comments:
Post a Comment