Response 5

The fundamental questions that the Founding Fathers wrestled with before they even began writing the Constitution included the ideal v. the real government; sovereignty; freedom; and human nature. At the basis of the Constitution is this fundamental principle: government. The Founding Fathers knew there needed to be government, there needed to be a law. They understood the human predicament that there is a cyclic nature involving competing groups, tyranny, revolution, and anarchy. They knew that of the two, tyranny and anarchy, there is no better option. They had a sound understanding that both tyranny and anarchy are potential consequences under the rule of mortal beings. They even knew that up until that point in history, there had not been a government which had outlasted either tyranny, or anarchy. Every government before the foundation of this nation had fallen, had failed, had succumbed to the seemingly inevitable result of an overthrow of a tyrant by a revolution. The Founding Fathers knew that neither tyranny nor anarchy is desirable. What they did not know was the solution to this extremism. They wrestled with options for balancing the predicament that had existed since antiquity.

The four options that may have been considered were these: Monarchy, Classical Republicanism, Libertarianism, and Liberalism. Of these four, no official and conscious choice was made. Each one presented various options and viewpoints that contributed to the answers of their questions and concerns, but no single option had all of the answers. Up until this point, there had been no society to maximize on the intersection of government, freedom and human nature.

The essential elements that contributed to the formation were structure, participation, law, custom & tradition, moral sense and leadership. The Founding Fathers knew there needed to be structure to the government, they knew of the necessity for a self sustaining system that could balance and maintain its power. They also understood that the participation of citizens was an essential element to the formation. People need to feel a sense of belonging; we need ownership over that which we must preserve. The Founding Fathers saw the need to incorporate experiences from England in order to have success. These men were looking for a common notion of right versus wrong and needed people with a vision. These elements contributed to the foundation of the United States of America. Above all else, the Founding Fathers knew they were creating a new government; something completely original with no formula to apply. If they were to replicate another government that had already existed they would also be replicating the same consequences. The purpose of creating a government, not simply establishing one, was to tackle the problem of government once and for all.

It’s a remarkable blessing that the Founding Fathers were able to see far beyond their lifetime with great concern. They knew the creating of a new government would need the flexibility and possibility to adapt. They had the far-sighted mind frame to build a government that would be sustainable. Not because it would be ideal but because it would accept human nature as a key component in its success, the fact that it’s fallible, that it has its vices and that it will never be a utopia.

Response 3

One of the pieces of art that had a great effect on me was Christopher Young's Man of Sorrows. I was deeply touched by the message of the painting through its contradictions and paradoxes. In this work, Young has depicted Jesus Christ through the shape of a window frame, as if we are catching a glimpse of His trial and His sacrifice. In the painting, Christ has on His crown of thorns and is currently bearing the cross. These are the plain, obvious, and objective facts of the piece. Through further examination we see there are deeper meanings and truths to its message. Christ is holding the cross, but although it appears to be heavy and difficult to bear, he carries it with ease. And although the depiction signifies that Christ has yet to complete His sacrifice, His pensive face seems to be contemplating anything but the coming moments He will endure. A third contradiction is the overall sense of idealism. The body of Christ is very chiseled and almost model-like. The painting creates the feeling that this is as ideal as this situation could possibly be, and the illusion that this reality was in fact an ideal occurrence.

After scrutinizing the facts and physical features of Young’s painting, I came to find the intent of this piece. At first, I thought the contradictions were simply a result of his perspective, of which I could not agree. But I quickly realized that this was purely his way of conveying a message. The message is that our Savior was, in essence, a living paradox. His teachings are seemingly contradictory from the surface and His life was the ultimate ironic act. He lost His life so that we might keep our own. He gave His entire life to us and to The Father, so that we might complete ours individually. He taught that if we take His yolk upon us, we may be light. He preached to all the earth that if we lose ourselves, we will find ourselves. His counterintuitive nature is consistent through His teachings and His life. His insights are a result of His unique perspective and greater understanding of truth. The beauty in all of these paradoxes is, as Dr. H. put it, “the tension of a paradox yields a resolution.”

This message of Christopher Young’s painting highlights the truth of our Savior’s life, mission, sacrifice and death.

Response 2

Martin Diamond’s title, “The Revolution of Sober Expectations,” delivers the message of how sobriety and serenity not only enhanced, but facilitated the foundation of the American Revolution. Diamond’s claim that the Declaration was essentially only a “half revolution,” and that the completion came eleven years later, supports the notion that sobriety was indeed an essential characteristic of the Founding Fathers.
Sober expectations could in other words be referred to as realistic expectations or as I like to think of it, patient expectations. Our Founding Fathers were wise enough to have a healthy perspective of things to come. They understood that to expect a utopian society, a flawless government, perfect equality for all, or even the development and establishment of a government to blossom sooner than 1787 (after 1776 independence) were beyond plausible and far too irrational. They held the belief that civil liberty was an attainable goal. While there are some who prefer the absolute “reign of virtue,” “unlimited equality in all respects,” or mass fraternity and others who result in a classless society, or the “transformation of the human condition itself,” our Founding Fathers remained level headed and sober. They opted for a slightly vaguer and abstract goal, the principle of civil liberty. For some, this may be viewed as a cop-out. Mockery may accuse a leader whose main goal is “civil liberty” as one with a measly standard. But consistent with protracted political debates, time tells us otherwise. “Moderate civil liberty is a possible dream; utopian equality and fraternity are impossible dreams…the political pursuit of impossible dreams leads to terror and tyranny in the vain effort to actualize what cannot be.”

Our Founding Fathers could have set their sights higher and sought out perfection, but they understood human nature well enough to know that could only result in collapse. They knew that the future citizens of this country would be consistently flawed. They understood that inevitable truth and accepted it. Not only did they accept this fact but resolved to use it to the advantage of every American. An example of this sober expectation is the election system. Use politicians’ egos to our advantage by allotting a short time period in office. This short length of time will remind them that they will have to run again shortly and will once again need the approval of their constituency.

Diamond also suggests that sober expectations were closely linked with the first establishment of self-evident truths. Self-evident truths provide evidence for themselves by people living them. The evidence of these truths is not an immediate evidence, but a protracted one. The expectation of this evidence was realistic, patient, sober.
Specifically, the truth that all men are created equal is examined by Diamond with sobriety. “…men are created equal but only with respect to the equal possession of certain unalienable rights…what we are equally is equally free.” The expectation was never that there would be no distinctions among classes and gender, no differences among races, sexual orientation, or religion, the expectation was that every individual included in these groups would have an equal opportunity to be free. Free to choose the life they want to live, and free to live the life they’ve chosen. What a wise and sober expectation.