My husband and I recently visited Monticello and learned about the life and writings of Thomas Jefferson. I have to profess I experienced feelings of anger as we walked back to the car. Even though Jefferson clearly believed slavery was an abomination and should end, he , in my estimation, took the easy way out and ultimately left the job to another generation. Weighing justice versus self-preservation of the life he knew, he chose self-preservation. But, are we any different?
Today many of us from our 20th Century vantage point would judge this hypocrisy as unforgivable. We might wonder how he could make this choice. How many of us chose self-preservation? How many of us choose not to make significant changes in the way we live: to end climate change; slavery in today’s world; racism and hatred; injustice in wages, food, housing, healthcare to name just a few.
Despite the hypocrisy in his life, he believed in serving and contributed much to core Democratic beliefs, education, architecture, agriculture, and science. He envisioned a better world and shared that vision through his writings. Can the same be said of us?
He and I share a belief that what we do in this life should make a positive difference in the world. He did what he believed he could do in his day and times. It was not all we might wish he had done.
If we look honestly at our own lives, we are no different, lest we condemn. Most of us strive to make a positive difference, be it large or small, depending on our sphere of influence, but all of us are too comfortable in our way of living to make the hard choices we should.
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