“All through the ages we see the creative process of sifting and regeneration and re-education out of which a new humanity is being born.”
Our Quote of the Week is inspired by a moment of renewal that millions around the world are experiencing this week. Spring is awakening in the northern hemisphere. Christians are marking the death and resurrection of Jesus during Easter, and Jews are celebrating the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt during Passover.
Natural and spiritual phenomena aside, we are also seeing signs of civic regeneration in the United States. More and more, people are willing to question what they can do to be a better neighbor and a better citizen. People from all walks of life are recommitting to civic engagement, as we saw with this weekend’s March for Our Lives. This engagement is also reflected in the surge in the number of people running for elected office in 2018, including many from historically under-represented groups: women, members of the LGBTQ community, African Americans, and native Americans.
Whatever turmoil and conflicts may erupt around us, Sargent Shriver reminds us of something we can rely on but must encourage: human beings have always had the ability to regenerate themselves, to be born anew. And with the ability to re-create oneself comes the ability to re-engage with our fellow human beings and to commit to a more peaceful existence.
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