An Important Lesson of Life
Today, eighty-one years ago, on December 26, 1941, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill addressed the joint session of Congress less than three weeks after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.
A year and a half earlier, the British and French forces were evaluated from Dunkirk. Churchill had rallied the British with this declaration.
As Churchill promised, he faced up to Hitler and the Blitzkrieg over London and other major cities in England. He spoke to the joint session of Congress as we began a war that we would never surrender.
President Zelensky spoke at a joint session of Congress on December 21, 2022, with a Ukrainian version of a Churchillian message. He spoke with the same determination as Churchill had. Zelensky was here to thank the American people for their support and our government’s military supplies for their war with the Russians. He assured the Members of Congress that the Ukrainian people would never surrender.
Nevertheless, Zelensky’s address was different from Churchill’s speech. The Congress fully supported our war effort against the Germans and Japanese and our assistance to the Allies’ war effort. However, that was back then. Today is a different story. Many Members of Congress, especially the Republicans in the House, are following their might-be leader McCarthy. In the wake of January 6, McCarthy was critical of Trump, which lasted for a few weeks. Then he realized he needed Trump and went to Mar-o-Lago and kissed Trump’s ring.
Trump’s fatal flaw is that his world revolves around himself. He is all about me, and he doesn’t recognize the importance of we. McCarthy wants to become the Speaker of the House and needs Trump’s support. McCarthy also is into doing things for himself. He will sell his soul to the devil if it benefits him. McCarthy shares in Trump’s fatal flaw of me over we.
Years ago, I came up with this one-liner. It is in giving that we get. While at first glance, it seems an anachronism. Giving appears in juxtaposition to getting, but it isn’t. The more you give, the more you get. It is equally true that the less you give, the less you get. We all need to move away from me and be concerned for we.
This video is of President Zelensky’s address to the joint session of Congress.
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12/26/22