Washington DC

Neither Mary nor I are real history buffs, and it isn’t always easy to be proud of some of the things our country does, but when DC reminds you of the ideas and ideals that created this country, it is very easy to be patriotic and feel grateful. The monuments, buildings and museums represent a powerful mix of concepts, ideas, ideals, irony, deeds, achievements, beauty, hypocrisy, eloquence, wisdom, sacrifice and bureaucracy.

The layout of the National Mall is fantastic. The Capitol, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and JFK Tomb are all in view of each other. We also noticed that the White House is in direct line-of-sight with the statue of Jefferson in the Jefferson Memorial. Presidents can look over to Jefferson for inspiration in times of crisis. It was important for Mary to visit the Viet Nam Memorial (2 of the photos).

Museums highlight accomplishments in space and our evolving knowledge of the natural world. They also recount man’s inhumanity to man (Holocaust), and seek to acknowledge once overlooked events, achievements or significance (African American, American Indian, Women in the Armed Services).

The Hubble 3D Imax film was outstanding, and the café at the new American Indian Museum had selections representing cultures from South America to the Arctic.

Washington DC actually seemed pretty nice and the Georgetown and Alexandria, VA areas are really great. We met up with a friend of Mary’s from her flight attendant days that she hadn’t seen in over 30 years, and we even happened to come across one of the people from this year’s Dolphin Trip just walking along the street in front of the White House.

I am not a big believer in fate, but when you look back on the history of the US it seems strange how some of the very large evolutions were spurred by some very unlikely events. Given how difficult it is to shoot firearms with accuracy, how strange it is that 4 non-professional assassins on their first try brought down Abraham, John, Martin and Bobby. And, how absurd that the ideas and eloquence of our leaders is enhanced by untimely deaths and war-time struggles.

Sacrifice and death seem to be an ever-present theme in our history. As I look upon the monuments, memorials and graves of the famous and ordinary, it is easy to feel a certain sense of guilt. But, I am learning to turn feelings of guilt into feelings of gratitude. So instead of sorrow and sadness, I try to cultivate emotions of thanks and love as I consider their sacrifice.

We were also reminded that personal sacrifices are not limited to death and the battlefield. In this land of personal freedom and liberty, there are countless instances of individuals having to forego their rights for the sake of others, such as people removed from their land to make way for a national park or highway, and, of course, slavery.

One of the current teachings Mary and I are learning is to accept what “is”. That doesn’t mean you can’t still strive to improve or change things. But once “it is, what it is” it is best to accept it and move on. It is odd, but accepting or even embracing those things we don’t like, and even forgiving the unforgivable can have transformative powers of healing and well-being.

It is easy to be disgusted when watching the News and listening to the current political ads, but sharing the foundations of liberty with the other visitors in DC, and seeing the awe on the multi-colored faces and hearing the wide range of languages reminds us that we have a unique and distinguished system of government and laws. It’s not perfect, but let’s embrace it, forgive it and do something to make it better.