We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans -- born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world. (JFK Inaugural Speech 1961)
Today marks the 50th Anniversary of Pres. John F. Kennedy's inaugural address. Times have changed and the challenges faced today by our leaders are vastly different from those faced by his administration. The politics of the time, the thirst for individual freedom and the turbulence of the 60's are now distant memories yet their imprint on the American culture still defines the American identity. This was the time when Americans took the challenge set out by President Kennedy that allowed a group of courageous men to leave mother earth's cuddling arms and plant a flag on the moon. For that generation, this single feat defined what it meant to be the best and what it meant to be an American.
I was no more than 11 years old when I first came upon a Commemorative Edition book that marked the death of President Kennedy. It was something that my mother had kept in a cabinet. The book was crimson in color with raw leather texture and weighed unusually heavy. The cabinet that housed it was a dispensary of things – tools, paint, office supplies, things that were essential and things that nobody knew what to do with. It was probably 6 feet by 6 feet by 3 feet, painted in the lightest shade of blue. It was padlocked and kept in an open air garage at our home in Manila. The smell of everything in the cabinet intermingled with the scent of the printed pages. That memorable moment was how I first met President Kennedy. So memorable it was, in fact, that I could still recite portions of his inaugural speech from memory.
The pictures that opened to me were very crisp and unforgettable, having been printed on high quality glossy paper, but the words were the more remarkable. It had a inexplicable quality that was made the more dramatic when spoken with a Bostonian accent. It was as if he was reaching out from the pages to converse with me. The book was intended as a way to grieve, but his words transcended the unfortunate moment in Dallas, leaving me the more hopeful. The book had excerpts of his inaugural speech, crafted to challenge people to search for an exceptional endeavor and engage it with vigor. My youth at the time had blurred my view of what was required and what was possible. But as I grew older the more I came to appreciate his words recorded in many of his speeches. His inaugural speech was so well prepared and exceptionally delivered that it became the yardstick by which all other presidential inaugural speeches are measured today.
President Kennedy has always been one of my favorite American presidents, eclipsed only by Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln. His words strike me as powerful reckonings demanding from those who are within earshot to expect the most of themselves and to contribute positively to the human experience. His 1000 days in office reminds us of the fickleness of time, that if we choose to make a stake in the future, the place to begin is here and the moment to begin is now. He tells of the capacity kept hidden within ourselves to touch the world in ways we had not imagined.
I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it. And the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
