Nothing original could possibly be written expressing the horror and dismay at what befell the Haitian people from Point 7 on the Richter Scale.
Mind-numbing and heart shattering.
Yet in that darkness the response of the American people from the good- ness of their souls inspires. Donations to the Red Cross in the first 48 hours exceed that of Katrina and the Asian Tsunami in 2004. And that’s just one agency.
Acting for all of us, the President immediately implemented enormous relief efforts in Haiti and pledged massive amounts of American dollars and human efforts to assist with the daunting task of restoring some semblance of civilization to that ravaged country.
We spend so much time bickering with each other and emphasizing our faults that we often forget the basic goodness of the American people.
We need reminding.
Here at home our newly elected Governor and Attorney General reminded Virginians this week of the importance of volunteerism in our lives as they made community service part of their inaugural celebration.
Governor-elect McDonnell donated time in various areas of the state in food banks, assistance to military families and outreach to young people at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Virginia.
His leadership as Attorney General in organizing events in the legal community for food banks is well known.
Our top legal officer on January 16, Ken Cuccinelli, donated $100,000 of PAC money to the Daily Planet.
Let us recognize these kind spirits and rejoice in the goodness they reflect.
It’s not new. This nation surpasses any previous country or combination of countries in the commitment of volunteers to assisting our fellow citizens.
I think it’s in our DNA.
In the early 19th Century when the remarkable young Frenchman, Alexis de Tocqueville, traveled throughout this land he observed what to him was a new and unexpected phenomenon: volunteerism on a massive scale.
He remarked that wherever in Europe you would find politicians or members of royalty at the head of a project in America you found ordinary citizens as volunteers.
Whether restoring neighbors’ houses and barns, or caring for the sick, or providing shelter for the homeless, Americans, he said, volunteered to a degree unlike anything in his European experience.
Often America’s critics chide us for not copying Europeans more. In at least this way (and in my view many more) thankfully we don’t!
So, once again America leads the way because of our compassion for our fellow human beings.
Without America, the scale of human suffering across the globe, as bad as it is, would be so very much worse.
So, as our new Governor and Attorney General lead by example and remind us of the importance of giving back to our communities, I offer my “thank you” to Bob and Ken.
And to those countless America who pour out their hearts and their dollars to people they don’t know and never will, who are suffering in a country they will never see, thank you.
Right now I have never been so proud of this country and this state. In spite of the cruelty in our past and our present that dominates our media outlets, this state and this nation are blessed with countless acts of kindness every day.
Maybe this is what Ronald Reagan meant when he spoke of that “shining city on a hill.” Or, maybe not, but it is an apt description and at this moment the light has rarely shown brighter.
Wyatt Durrette is a Director at DurretteBradshaw, PLC (www.durrettebradshaw.com) and co-founder of the XDL Group. He served three terms in the House of Delegates and was the Republican candidate for Governor in 1985.
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