Back at Bedrock High School, I am sure, convinced in fact, that in studying American History we were introduced to Theodore Roosevelt's famous phrase as "Walk softly and carry a big stick." In fact, the expression is "Speak softly, and carry a big stick." World of difference there.
Ms Smith, our history teacher, was a child of the 60s. An unabashed fan, groupie almost, of Pierre Trudeau. LOVED him, and everything he stood for. Everything America was at the time, Ronald Reagan, Trickle Down Economics, the Cold War, the US presence in Central America - it was all completely opposite what she stood for. Coloured by her bias (intentional or not) the Walk Softly phrase seemed perfectly apropos. What America did was sneak up on people, and hit them when they weren't expecting it. America armed insurgents in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Panama with big sticks of their own. America gave training and weapons to the Mujahadin (only, of course to have those same skills and weapons turned on America just a few years later.) Walking softly and carrying a big stick was exactly what America seemed to be.Only the phrase wasn't walk softly. It was SPEAK softly. Colonel Roosevelt wasn't advocating whispered secrets, I believe what he meant was reasoned diplomacy.
The big stick part still conjures somewhat the image of a bully, but at least the bully should be willing to talk. Of course America DOES have a tremendous history of diplomacy as well. We'd have had far more black eyes, far fewer friendly handshakes without it.Given recent history, I am beginning to wonder if maybe there aren't a few people in today's government who didn't mis-learn that expression too. Ya know?
So why the heck did I write this? Well, let me tell you. I'm not doing resolutions this New Year. I'm instead making a pledge to myself to make a gentler impact on my world. An impact, of course, but one that requires fewer resources, less trampling, not so many bodies toppled to climb over. Know what I mean? I want to step gentler, be kinder, do better. I guess, given the eye opening I got when I sat down and googled "walk softly" I need to add talk softly to that list. And maybe I'll carry just a little stick. Nerf, perhaps.
4 comments:
"Speak softly and carry a big stick" reminds me a lot of another American saying..."You get a lot further with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word." Wasn't that Al Capone?
Speaking of HS History teachers - mine insisted that the only reason the U.S. had Japanese internment camps during WW2 was because Japanese-Americans wouldn't pledge allegiance to America. SO untrue!!
This was the same man who told a class of 16-year-olds that abortion should be outlawed so that slutty girls would be forced to learn consequences of promiscuity. He was a real piece of work, that one.
Happy New Year, Dorothy! Yippee for no resolutions!
This was a great post DOrothy. In the same vein I always try to explain to people the Robert Frost poem about good fences & neighbors etc. I'm so tired of people not reading it and using those couple of lines to jumble the true meaning. There were a couple of great teachers when I was in high school (63-66-time of the dinosaurs)and in the same genre as yours. Thank goodness!
Hope you're having a a sweet and quiet day and how do we find out why Zazzu doesn't have a blog?
Great post.
Keep in mind tho, that being boffed by a nerf stick will result in loud laughter and general silliness. I am a big fan of laughter and silliness, myself.
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