How do you and I understand and cope with these strange times in which we are living? By "strange times," I mean the clash of two extremes that whirl around us daily as if in a free form dance of folly and heroism. There are no constraints, no positions, no choreography, and no melody that inspires an ecstatic embrace of union, or a promise that the mad dance will conclude any time soon.
Now consider "folly" and what that word means:
These synonyms of "folly" became associated with the Foles-Bergere of Paris back at the turn of the 20th century. Britannica described The Follies of 1907 as risqué with elements of seminudity, pageant, and comedy that played well in Paris and New York until 23 years later when the Great Depression ended the production.
And in history the archetypal dancing partner of "folly" is "heroism," that means:
President Biden on June 7, looked to summon Americans to defend democracy
from threats at home and abroad ... by drawing on the heroism of Army Rangers
who scaled the seaside cliffs of Pointe du HOC in the D-Day invasion.
We think also of our 9/11 trauma, when 343 firefighters died along with 60 police officers, 13 paramedics, and 3 emergency medical technicians. Many other heroic acts occurred that day, including those individuals in the towers who faced their end with a desperate resolve or a gallant dive from the crashing tower to face their approaching death rising from the concrete, debris-filled street below.
Returning now to my topic, "The Archetypal Dance of Human Folly and Heroism," I have sketched the extremes of human behavior, folly and heroism. And I use the metaphor "archetypal dance" to note the dynamic swing of our actions, the often absurd folly and the daring heroism caught in the free-form swirl of archetypal tension. I use the reference to archetype meaning the innate, neurological guiding impulse that brings us to the guardrails of health, safety, and well-being when we risk losing our way.
So just who are we human beings? Do we tilt toward the risky end of losing ourselves in our follies, or do we subdue our lively, creative selves with a dutiful existence of heroic sacrifice? And the answer appears to be that we must be careful not to suggest a simplistic response that lends itself to a 30-second commercial on prime time TV.
I call your attention again to my use of "archetypes" that function for us as instincts function for animals. But we must be careful not to define archetypes as instincts, although they provide something of the same drive to survive and thrive in a threatening world. Further, archetypes carry with them the capacity for symbolic reflection that gives meaning to our existence and elevates the call toward the heroism by which we face the many challenges that come our way.
It is for this reason that we need heroic figures not only in our personal lives but also in the lives of our national leaders.
TO illustrate this, I circled around through history to focus on President John Kennedy. He not only lived the life of a hero with sacrificial service in the Pacific campaign of WW II, he summoned the nation as President to confront the Cold War with valor, wisdom, and heroic leadership.
In particular, I thought it important in this historical moment of vulgar cynicism and nihilism to lift up another time and a hero who offered us courage and a vision to bring forth our own heroism.
Listen to John Kennedy's words at the Commodore Hotel, New York, when he accepted his party's nomination for President on September 14, 1960:
I believe in human dignity as the source of national purpose, in human
liberty as the source of national action, and the human heart as the
source of national compassion, and in the human mind as the source
of our invention and our ideas. It is, I believe, this faith in our fellow
citizens as individuals and a people that lies at the heart of the liberal
faith, for liberalism is not so much a party creed or a set of fixed platform
promises as it is an attitude of mind and heart, a faith in man's ability
through the experiences of his reason and judgment to increase for
himself and his fellow men the amount of justice and freedom and
brotherhood which all human life deserves.
And this second quote also comes from President Kennedy on the day of his inauguration in Washington, D.C., January 20, 1961:
Now the trumpet summons us again—not as a call to bear arms, though
arms we need—not as a call to battle, though embattled we are—but a
call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out,
"rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation"--a struggle against the common
enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself . . .
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted
the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not
shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it. 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 . . .
With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final
judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His
blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must
truly be our own.
And still the dance continues.
Now consider "folly" and what that word means:
- absurdity
- foolery
- idiocy
- inanity
- lunacy
- imbecility
- insanity
- stupidity
These synonyms of "folly" became associated with the Foles-Bergere of Paris back at the turn of the 20th century. Britannica described The Follies of 1907 as risqué with elements of seminudity, pageant, and comedy that played well in Paris and New York until 23 years later when the Great Depression ended the production.
And in history the archetypal dancing partner of "folly" is "heroism," that means:
- daring
- fearlessness
- gutsiness
- bravery
- guts
- nerve
- valor
President Biden on June 7, looked to summon Americans to defend democracy
from threats at home and abroad ... by drawing on the heroism of Army Rangers
who scaled the seaside cliffs of Pointe du HOC in the D-Day invasion.
We think also of our 9/11 trauma, when 343 firefighters died along with 60 police officers, 13 paramedics, and 3 emergency medical technicians. Many other heroic acts occurred that day, including those individuals in the towers who faced their end with a desperate resolve or a gallant dive from the crashing tower to face their approaching death rising from the concrete, debris-filled street below.
Returning now to my topic, "The Archetypal Dance of Human Folly and Heroism," I have sketched the extremes of human behavior, folly and heroism. And I use the metaphor "archetypal dance" to note the dynamic swing of our actions, the often absurd folly and the daring heroism caught in the free-form swirl of archetypal tension. I use the reference to archetype meaning the innate, neurological guiding impulse that brings us to the guardrails of health, safety, and well-being when we risk losing our way.
So just who are we human beings? Do we tilt toward the risky end of losing ourselves in our follies, or do we subdue our lively, creative selves with a dutiful existence of heroic sacrifice? And the answer appears to be that we must be careful not to suggest a simplistic response that lends itself to a 30-second commercial on prime time TV.
I call your attention again to my use of "archetypes" that function for us as instincts function for animals. But we must be careful not to define archetypes as instincts, although they provide something of the same drive to survive and thrive in a threatening world. Further, archetypes carry with them the capacity for symbolic reflection that gives meaning to our existence and elevates the call toward the heroism by which we face the many challenges that come our way.
It is for this reason that we need heroic figures not only in our personal lives but also in the lives of our national leaders.
TO illustrate this, I circled around through history to focus on President John Kennedy. He not only lived the life of a hero with sacrificial service in the Pacific campaign of WW II, he summoned the nation as President to confront the Cold War with valor, wisdom, and heroic leadership.
In particular, I thought it important in this historical moment of vulgar cynicism and nihilism to lift up another time and a hero who offered us courage and a vision to bring forth our own heroism.
Listen to John Kennedy's words at the Commodore Hotel, New York, when he accepted his party's nomination for President on September 14, 1960:
I believe in human dignity as the source of national purpose, in human
liberty as the source of national action, and the human heart as the
source of national compassion, and in the human mind as the source
of our invention and our ideas. It is, I believe, this faith in our fellow
citizens as individuals and a people that lies at the heart of the liberal
faith, for liberalism is not so much a party creed or a set of fixed platform
promises as it is an attitude of mind and heart, a faith in man's ability
through the experiences of his reason and judgment to increase for
himself and his fellow men the amount of justice and freedom and
brotherhood which all human life deserves.
And this second quote also comes from President Kennedy on the day of his inauguration in Washington, D.C., January 20, 1961:
Now the trumpet summons us again—not as a call to bear arms, though
arms we need—not as a call to battle, though embattled we are—but a
call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out,
"rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation"--a struggle against the common
enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself . . .
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted
the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not
shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it. 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 . . .
With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final
judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His
blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must
truly be our own.
And still the dance continues.
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