August heat brings a reminder that summer in the Northern Hemisphere only lasts so long. We celebrate Kronia and Lughnasagh with feasts, fires, and merriment. The first harvest surrounds us in the atmosphere of abundance – luscious fruits, vegetables – the gifts born of our time, our labor, and nourishment from the waters of the earth and the sun’s warmth. We do not think in August about the winter that is to come, yet in this part of the dark half of the year, beneath the hazy, hot, and humid days, the cost for this pleasure and abundance remains.
There is a sacrifice for each gift we receive, and this time of the year is no exception. There is a reality and a responsibility of sacrifice that is best remembered when surrounded by sunshine, joy, and relaxation. During times of turbulence, the harvest we reap is more than just the fruit, vegetables, and gleaming lawns that mark the best of summer warmth.
Summer grass [LuidmilaKot, Pixabay]
To sacrifice takes courage. In our ethics, to put others or our values above the desires of the individual means to appeal to the better parts of our nature. How often do we teach our children or say to each other that we should “do the right thing”? How often do we applaud words or deeds that demonstrate this higher form of sacrifice precisely because it is so difficult for many people and it is not what most might do if we were in that same position.
Regardless of one’s political position on this election, the reality is that sacrifice is a word used with admiration, yet rarely followed. Giving up something you or have, be it authority, financial gain, possessions, self-respect because it is the the right thing to do is admired simply because it is infrequently done.
Power is infectious and addictive for so many; hence, many who demonstrate reverence do so because if the tables were turned, these same people would not make the same decisions.
On Sunday, July 21, 2024, the United States witnessed a rarity seen only thrice before in our country’s history: a sitting president of the United States, already guaranteed status as the official nominee for his political party, stepped aside. His act at 1:46 p.m. eastern time represented one of ultimate sacrifice for the nation.
As a politician, President Joseph R. Biden is known for many things, but quitting is not one of them. Perhaps it was the constant drip, like water on a stone, regarding his physical age. It is well known that the stress and time in the White House changes and ages the person holding the power. In addition to his time in the United States Senate, Biden spent eight years as vice-president, a role with a fair amount of stress. Finally, in addition to a hard fought campaign for his current presidency, there have been a number of unprecedented events: the COVID-19 pandemic, the battle to keep the economy from crashing into a true recession or depression, several hostage negotiations, and potential crises in the Middle East.
Biden is our nation’s grandfather, a font of wisdom who has seen much. The greatest gift he could give to the United States is the willingness to think of others before himself, his ego. In doing so, he cements a legacy of sacrifice as something to be cherished and copied.
His action brings to light what each generation does for those that follow: the sacrifices parents make to raise children who can contribute to society while reflecting the values of decency, honesty, compassion, and a solid core of self-worth; the realization that wisdom from the old is a blessing for the young; and that the true strength of the United States comes in our slogan e pluribus unum. In times of divisiveness, Biden demonstrated that a single act of sacrifice can bring people together.
In years to come, Biden’s choice, like many momentous occasions will stir the senses for with the question: “where were you when…”
For Baby Boomers, where were you when you saw or heard the live broadcast of the first landing on the moon? Where were you when JFK or MLK or Bobby Kennedy were assassinated? For Gen X, where were you when you heard about the Challenger disaster? For Millennials, where were you at 8:46 a.m. ET on September 11, the moment of attack on the World Trade Center Towers ? Where were you on January 6, 2021 during the attack on the United States Capitol?
These questions arise during the precipice of a grand moment, a turn in time for good or ill.
Time often repeats the nature of sacrifice. Faced with decisions regarding the Vietnam War, President Lyndon B. Johnson declined the opportunity to run for re-election in 1968. Having inherited the mantle of assassinated President John F. Kennedy in 1963, LBJ easily would have won the nomination. While the reasons behind the decision itself may be questioned, the effect of this decision plunged the Democratic Party in disarray for nearly a decade. Although Johnson’s announcement came in March, the resulting August Democratic convention in Chicago, Illinois, devolved into a brokered convention. Against the backdrop of anti-war protests, the eventual nominee lost the election to Richard Nixon in 1968. Nixon’s popularity and hold as President lasted for two election cycles, until the crimes under Watergate led to his resignation in 1974, replaced by his second vice-president (Gerald R. Ford). The scars of the Watergate scandal led to a desired return to simplicity and a new kind of presidential candidate, the Democrat Jimmy Carter.
History matters. Recent events echo past failures and successes. Internal strife in both major political parties in the current 2024 US election cycle mirror different points in history. For many, hearing that the convention site for 2024 was once again Chicago harkened back to memories of the failed electoral run in 1968. Outside historical events, such as the Vietnam War in 1968, and ongoing unrest over the the Israeli-Gaza conflict and pro-Palestinian student protests in 2024, while logistically different affected the impression of whether the party in power deserved to remain in power.
The choice not to run for office based on values and principles represents a kind of sacrifice rarely seen in American political life. It leads to the question: What is more important – the good of the individual or the good of the country? LBJ made the decision in March, 1968 because he sought a way to end a war before it continued to dissolve into a quagmire. Joseph R. Biden knows his history. Like LBJ, Biden made a choice to put his own aspirational goals behind the perceived needs of the country as a whole.
President Joe Biden poses for his official portrait Wednesday, March 3, 2021, in the Library of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)
So when someone asks where you were at 1:46 p.m. ET on July 21, 2024 – perhaps you were enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon, playing with your kids, watching a movie, gardening, getting household projects done.The choice to remove the self from the presidency is rare because the very goal for politicians is to seek the pinnacle of power.
Biden has served in many roles, from congressman to senator to vice president, to what should have been a quiet retirement. His sacrifice in 2017 to consider entering a race for U.S. President that he had lost before to prevent the start of a slide from democracy towards autocracy ended up as president. His heroic choice to sacrifice ego for the larger good is the ultimate harvest. His an honorable man whose actions demonstrate more than words how sacrifice is a positive good for the nation.
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