by Mark Maine

Created on: September 07, 2008   Last Updated: January 21, 2009

Passing on the torch

The original colonists at Plymouth Plantation, having anchored ship in late November 1620 learned quickly that lest you tend your fire faithfully it will soon grow cold and eventually burn out. Having survived the first winter with help from their newfound aboriginal friends, the colonists enjoyed a beautiful summer and a bountiful autumn harvest in the new land. For this success they gathered together in gratitude and held a three day feast to celebrate and give thanks.

Little did they know the impact of their actions that day. Nor did they have the foreknowledge of the revolution that would change the world just over one hundred and fifty years later. At the time these men and women were just celebrating the fact that they were alive. They were grateful to have survived the winter, with a wealth of crops and supplies for the coming months ahead. These were the humble beginnings of a great nation. A nation like no other, soon to be built upon the foundation of freedom, justice, and equality.

The spark of that original flame still burns to this day. The spark that ignited a passion in those brave men and women to set out into the unknown, that inspired them to stand up to innumerable challenges and hardship. To face painful remorse and heartbreak as death was a constant companion, to feel the exhilaration of victory at living their dream. To know the kindness of friendship for their fellow travelers as well as the native people who taught them new ways to survive.

We should pause a moment and take our hats off to these aboriginal peoples of the land, for they possessed the true embodiment of the American spirit. When strangers from a foreign land came to these shores, they welcomed them and helped them build a new life. They befriended them and shared the opportunities that the countryside offered. History shows that they weren't always treated as kindly in return.But they never gave up hope, for they understood the realities of life in that time. They also had a clear vision for the future, a dream of a day when all men would live in peace and harmony, working together side by side for the common good.

I want to take a minute to emphasize that this article is not about who treated who badly or where anyone failed. It is about rekindling the American spirit, our legacy, what we stand for. These are the ties that bind us together. This is not about the mistakes that almost tore us apart. Like any big family we have had our squabbles and

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