Let me begin today by saying there are millions of us in our country who are gravely disappointed by all the rancor and bitterness that is taking place in our national government. It is all about power, and many of us are familiar with the saying that “Power Corrupts” and “Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely.” If we ever knew them, we should never forget the words of Benjamin Franklin when he said, “We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we will all hang separately.”

It is in this vein that I want to share something that was written by my good friend Coach Dale Brown, who for 25 years was the coach of the Louisiana State University Tigers basketball team. To be sure, Dale Brown is a true patriot.

He begins: “With all the chaos, anger, and divisiveness we are now experiencing in our country, it is imperative we unite quickly or have a total collapse of our system. The very first thing we need to fully comprehend is that the best potential of ME has always been WE. A perfect example of this is the Boston Celtics. No team in NBA history has won more NBA Championships. What is their secret? For years the Boston Red Sox held a fellowship in their dining room atop the roof of Fenway Park. A variety of people — such as rabbis, priests, and civic leaders — gathered to talk about living together and the virtues of brotherhood.

“At one of these conclaves, the Red Sox general manager listened patiently as speaker after speaker strode to the microphone and sought to capture the essence of people helping people, working together and subjecting themselves to a common cause. Finally it was his turn and he said, ‘I’ve heard so many speeches today about fighting on the battlefields of war, unaware of religion and nationality, and that is very impressive. Right now you are sitting in a sports building talking about learning to live together – it’s called brotherhood.

‘May I suggest to all of us that the best example of that is right down the street from here. There is a team over there in the Boston Garden called the Boston Celtics. They’re made up of blacks and whites, Catholics and Protestants, and by the way, they’re coached by a Jew. We are all running around looking for theories and searching history for explanations, but if you want the perfect example of what we are talking about today, just look at the Celtics. They have found out that we do have to work together’.

“Martin Luther King profoundly stated, ‘Time is cluttered with the wreckage of communities which surrendered to hatred and violence. For the salvation of our nation and the salvation of mankind, we must follow another way. Love is the most durable power in the world. This creative force is the most potent instrument available in mankind’s quest for peace and security. Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate multiplies hate. Violence multiplies violence in a descending spiral of war and must be broken, or we shall be plunged into a dark abyss of annihilation.’

“Everyone, which includes you, me, politicians, and media, must understand that our country will only function properly when we work together at a labor towards a common goal. To live by relying on one another implies a risk but without some trust in humanity, life would be unlivable. Communities and nations will be transformed only when mankind returns to God and his purpose for us.”

Thanks Dale, for stating TRUTH that produces the WISDOM that sets us apart from all the other creatures on earth.

—

(Editor’s Note: Jim Davidson’s new book, “Your Future Begins Today” is destined to become a New York Times Best Seller. Get your copy at www.jimdavidsonnsc.com. He is giving a good portion of book sales to begin Bookcase Literacy Projects in other communities all across the nation.)