Friday, 19 April 2013

E Pluribus Unum

Today I learned more about an ongoing dynamic in America, the tension between the individual and the collective. We see it all the time, throughout this country's history. Sometimes it's in national consequences that arise from an individual's actions, sometimes it's in a conflict between the rights of a citizen and the requirements of a shared society, or the ancient arguments between States and Union. It's even expressed on the Presidential Seal.

Right now, as I type, the full powers of the government are being brought to bear in order to find one man who, so far, eludes capture. Now's not the time to write more about that. We won't know for a long time where these events have come from, let alone where they are heading. But today, and the events earlier in the week, have shown us a more positive relationship between individual and country.

Take the people who, in Boston and West, TX, ran towards the flames in order to help those around them.

It is a good thing to be reminded that each of us is one of the many.

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