“Mankind has entered a new era. Our philosophic, religious and political beliefs can still provide the framework for our activity in the years ahead. But the problems we now face are different in nature, not just in size, from those we faced before...Nationalism, jingoism, great power chauvinism, individualism, old-fashioned liberalism, populism, conservatism — none of these alone is sufficient for the future. Instead we must seek a common existence, rooted in our common humanity, which faces worldwide problems requiring common solutions. And, the first place where we must bring our common efforts to bear on our common human problems is here at home.”
Our Quote of the Week captures Sargent Shriver’s ability to visualize a society in which we could move beyond the trappings of our identities to focus on our common humanity. As we mark the 110th anniversary of his birth on November 9, we remember his unique combination of faith, pragmatism, and confidence in his fellow human beings.
In 1975, Sargent Shriver entered the Democratic Primary and spoke these words in his Announcement of Candidacy for President of the United States. He did not win the nomination—Jimmy Carter would be the nominee and then become president—but there are many insights to be learned from his campaign, which began with this speech. In his remarks, he speaks about the “crisis of confidence” that Americans were dealing with at the time. The United States was still recovering from the Watergate scandal and the subsequent resignation of President Richard Nixon. The country was also dealing with a recession, out-of-control inflation, high unemployment, and growing income inequality.
In the speech, Shriver presents a way forward that is positive, pragmatic, and forward-thinking. He speaks of policies that are grounded in values that preserve human dignity:
“To the millions of families who see their children fail and their neighborhoods collapse, the meaning of this philosophy is reunion—reunion with the most basic sources of our national strength. Anti-neighborhood practices like redlining and block busting must be reversed. Anti-family practices like forced separation of parents on welfare must be ended. Discrimination against working women must be stopped. And, we need flexible work schedules to permit parents, fathers and mothers both, to care for their children. Finally, we must find ways to redesign our housing, tax, and other policies to allow families to live together, rather than in generational ghettos. I do not pretend to have all the answers. But we can find answers together only if we are guided by some vision of where we want to go; it is a vision of freedom, of fairness, and fulfilling work that shapes the policies I favor.”
He goes on to say:
“Domestic and foreign affairs are inseparable. […] Today no nation belongs to any one God or science, or solely to its citizens or its ideology. By circumstance, we belong to a still separated but now seamless world. In such a world, the shaping of a common existence is the precondition of a secure existence — and perhaps of any existence at all.”
Shriver’s rejection of specific political or religious ideologies, and his embracing of values that uplift and empower humanity, allow him to envision a world in which no human challenge is too daunting to tackle and overcome.
Over a century after his birth, we remember Sargent Shriver as someone who could see the best in us—and who knew how to inspire us to realize his vision of a more peaceful world.
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