A NEW CONCENSUS IN A NEW AGE

KENNETT, Mo. -- America has entered a new era, a new age if you will, in a new century, a new millennium and a new president. Regardless of your political, economic or social beliefs, I hope you will pray to your God that each of these is successful, that each survives into the next moment of history. I am a firm enough believer in prayer to know that these goals need the voice of every one of us, every last one of us.

On the occasion of a presidential inauguration, I'm not sure how many really listen to the prayers traditionally offered as the nation's new leader takes the oath of office; we are more likely listening for some immortal utterance that will go down in history as a turning point in our continuing experiment with collective democracy. We don't always hear such inspiring words and oftentimes this brief moment becomes no more historic than yesterday's sports section.

As our new president repeats his oath of office, he swears to uphold the nation's laws, represent every man, woman and child in the halls of government and promises that he will do so with full force and vigor. An inauguration is an event for moral commitment by the person we have just selected to lead us for the next four years.

May I be so bold as to suggest that as George W. Bush has taken an oath for wise governance and fair-dealing with each citizen that we as citizens of the same nation take an allegiance similar to our president's? Your reply might be that you are not required to take any oath, seek the guidance of any Creator or perform any task of duty mentioned in our federal constitution -- and you would be absolutely correct. When our leader takes a pledge to perform his official duties to the best of his ability, he must do so if he expects to receive the authority, respect and obedience of his constituency. And, after all, you may declare, you have no such obligation, being a free citizen of a great democracy. You are the served, not the server.

The question that next arises is simple: Is that all the responsibility you have in this democratic republic?

Let me relate the story of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, a leading rabbinic scholar in Jerusalem who was widely known for his powerful intellect. One day, the concerned parents of a retarded boy asked him to consult on the choice of an institution for their son. They were considering two facilities, each having certain advantages. The rabbi listened carefully to their description and then asked, "Where is the boy? What does he say about all this?"

The parents were confused. It had never entered their minds to discuss the matter with their son. Outraged, the rabbi said, "You are committing a sin against the soul of this child! You intend to evict him from his home and consign him to a strange place with a regimented atmosphere. He must be encouraged and not be allowed to feel that he is being betrayed."

The parents returned to the rabbi, this time with their son. The rabbi greeted him warmly, asked his name and how he was feeling. Then he said without his usual humility, "My name is Shlomo Zalman Auerbach. I am the greatest Torah authority of this generation, and everyone listens to me. You are going to enter a special school now, and I would like you to represent me and look after all of the religious matters in your new home."

As the boy's eyes remained riveted on the rabbi's face, he continued, "I shall now give you a rabbinical ordination. This will make you a rabbi, and I want you to use this honor wisely."

The story is a beautiful reminder of enlightenment at a time the nation has experienced one of its most trying campaigns and elections, and we, the dazed and befuddled public, now find ourselves assigned to a new leader in a new age, and none of us doubts that adjustments will be needed, even required, if we are to survive as a great civilization.

Like the young boy, we are nervous, even fearful, just as he was while being sent away in the manner his parents had planned. He would normally have felt rejected and betrayed. Instead, because of the rabbi's great intelligence, insight and his ability to understand what the boy most needed, he went to his new home with a sense of pride and purpose. How could he not have such a sense? After all, he was the representative of the greatest rabbi of his age.

As our new president has taken the oath of office, let each of us take a similar pledge, making a promise to fulfill our obligations as citizens, doing so with all the abilities we possess, with a sense of pride and purpose.

One of the essential components of our constitution is both the right and the responsibility of citizens to fulfill their roll in our representative government. We are given our basic freedoms, which each of us assiduously guards and protects, and we are also given our responsibilities, which most of us give no more than a moment's thought or none at all.

We are given the right of free speech, which we must exercise not only in our own behalf but for the sake of everyone.

We are given the opportunity to vote and choose our leaders, which we must do wisely, not automatically, and in consideration of our fellow citizens.

We are given the full protection of law, which we must preserve not for a few but for each and every one of us.

We are given both rights and protections that remain unique, even unknown in other parts of the world, which means that, like the young boy who became a rabbi, we must carry out our good citizenship with a sense of pride and purpose.

How could we not have such a sense? After all, we are representatives of the greatest nation the world has ever known. It is what America most needs at this moment in history.

~Jack Stapleton is the editor of Missouri News and Editorial Service.