John McCain's Farewell Message to Us

Senator John McCain passed away on Sunday. 

Because of his decades of public service, his passing has drawn much public coverage. Which includes a farewell letter he penned knowing that his death was imminent.

It's worth taking a closer look. 

In his letter, McCain wrote: "We are citizens of the world's greatest republic, a nation of ideals, not blood and soil. We are blessed and are a blessing to humanity when we uphold and advance those ideals at home and in the world..."

McCain isn't sugar-coating our history. He calls us to remember that we can be a "nation of ideals." But it is only in remaining true to those ideals that we become a "blessing to humanity." 

Whenever we veer from those ideals and turn to "blood and soil" or tribal instincts, we cease to be much of a blessing to the world, or to each other. 

McCain goes on to note in his farewell letter. "We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe. We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been."

It's worth remembering that immediately after Charlottesville last summer, McCain was quick to condemn neo-Nazi, white supremacism. What he said at the time was crystal clear: “Our Founders fought a revolution for the idea that all men [and women] are created equal. The heirs of that revolution fought a Civil War to save our nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to that revolutionary proposition.

“Nothing less is at stake on the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia, where a violent attack has taken at least one American life and injured many others in a confrontation between our better angels and our worst demons.

“White supremacists and neo-Nazis are, by definition, opposed to American patriotism and the ideals that define us as a people and make our nation special.

“As we mourn the tragedy that has occurred in Charlottesville, American patriots of all colors and creeds must come together to defy those who raise the flag of hatred and bigotry.” 

Getting back to McCain's farewell letter, he continued:

"We are three-hundred-and-twenty-five million opinionated, vociferous individuals. We argue and compete and sometimes even vilify each other in our raucous public debates. But we have always had so much more in common with each other than in disagreement. If only we remember that and give each other the benefit of the presumption that we all love our country we will get through these challenging times. We will come through them stronger than before. We always do...

"Do not despair of our present difficulties but believe always in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here. Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history."

I believe here, towards the close of his farewell letter, McCain is calling us to our best selves. Most especially, in inviting us to "never hide from history." In fact, it's only when we soberly address a mixed past that includes racism and other forms of injustice and oppression, can we truly heal. 

McCain, after casting vote against repeal of Affordable Care Act

Although aligning himself with the "conservative" viewpoint, McCain enjoyed being called a political maverick. He was not afraid to walk across the aisle in the Senate floor to accomplish good. When he saw injustice, he labeled it, casting his dramatic "thumbs down" vote to defeat efforts to kill the Affordable Care Act. And he was not afraid to go against the grain of his political party in openly chastising the current president and the senate. 

Did John McCain make mistakes? Yes. Did he always come down on the correct side of history. No, but more often than not, he did. Was his personal life unblemished? No, but he admitted when he blundered. 

And especially towards the end of his career McCain valued morality far more than politics.

May we all come to learn this important life lesson.
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Watch Meghan McCain's powerful eulogy to her father.

Photo credits: top AZCentral.com; bottom Vox