Twice already today (it is only 9:30 a.m.), I have heard references to Jimmy Carter's "Crisis of Confidence" (or Malaise) speech from July 15, 1979. One was an interview on NPR with Kevin Mattson, author of 'What the Heck Are You Up To, Mr. President?': Jimmy Carter, America's 'Malaise,' and the Speech That Should Have Changed the Country. The other was in a post from Founding Forward (out of Valley Forge) written by the organization's president, John J. Meko, Jr. Thus, I felt obligated to read the speech, especially on this day of honoring President Carter, and at a time where I believe we have a convergence of crises in this country.
There are some sections of Carter's speech worth giving serious thought to.Our people are losing that faith, not only in government itself but in the ability as citizens to serve as the ultimate rulers and shapers of our democracy. As a people we know our past and we are proud of it. Our progress has been part of the living history of America, even the world. We always believed that we were part of a great movement of humanity itself called democracy, involved in the search for freedom, and that belief has always strengthened us in our purpose. But just as we are losing our confidence in the future, we are also beginning to close the door on our past.
In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we've discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning. We've learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose.
I did gasp a bit when Carter talked about using more coal instead of foreign oil. Granted, we were experiencing the second oil crisis of the 1970's, and thus, Carter's focus was on using U.S. natural resources instead foreign oil. And to be fair, he also called for diversifying our fuel sources to include "plant products for gasohol" and "from unconventional gas, from the sun" (i.e. solar power, of which he was an early proponent). Back in 1979, while scientists were becoming well aware of the impact of fossil fuel combustion and greenhouse gases, the term "climate change" was not yet a household word.
I spent last night fixated on the news coverage of the fires in the Los Angeles area, worrying about people I know in that region, and thinking about how such apocalyptic scenes are becoming more and more common. Sadly, this morning, on LinkedIn of all places, I saw snarky political comments referring to Gaza when Maria Shriver posted a video taken from a car driving through one L.A. neighborhood that is now in ruins. And this is far from the only inappropriate political comment being made. And why is so much of the news coverage focused on the famous people who have lost homes? Again, from Jimmy (RIP): too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. We seem to have a crisis of the human spirit along with climate change, global conflict, poverty and famine, etc.
As I look out the window at the beauty of fresh snow - a stark contrast to the images from southern California - I can't help think about how much we need hope, healing, and reconnection to nature and to community. And for some reason, I recalled a podcast episode of “On being with Krista Tippett” with guest Vivek Murthy, entitled To be a Healer from April 13, 2023. I had stumbled on this a few months ago and found it to be inspirational. Here are a few excerpts:
To both build a world that’s oriented around healing, around supporting our young, supporting everyone, but also to maintain that world means that we have to make sure that we’re talking about it, that we’re keeping it in our hearts and raising it up as a priority, that we’re continuing to focus on it.
I think that for every generation there’s a moment where they face a moment of existential change, where there are forces that are visited upon society that threaten our way of life and our way of being. And it’s up to that generation to figure out how to respond. To me, this is that moment and we are those people who have to take it upon ourselves to stitch together the social fabric of our country once again because it is the foundation on which we build everything else.
If you want effective policy to address climate change, if you want effective policy that ensures that we have more support for people so they can be with their families when they’re ill, if you want effective policies to help strengthen education in our schools, you need social connection. Because it is only when people care about and are vested in one another that they advocate together, that they move together in the same direction, recognizing that a solution to someone’s problem, even if it’s not my problem, is a solution that we all need because we are one people and we are united.
There are common themes in the messages of Carter, Meko, and Murthy. So, as I work to prepare for a new academic semester, I will continue to ponder these words and think about how I can contribute to building a world that is oriented around healing.
