Olympics

As the Paris Olympics concluded, how could any American not feel pride in the collective achievement of our team? Its diversity reflected who we are as a nation and the highlighted the rich talents of our multicultural society. It epitomized the spirit and meaning of our national motto—e pluribus unum—“out of many, one.”

We would be wise to give our motto some serious thought.

The closing ceremony was much more than viewing entertainment (although it was certainly that, too). As the nice flow of Snoop and Dre kept it real amid the jubilation of our elated team, it occurred to me at that precise moment (and as Irish poet Seamus Heaney described such rising tides) "hope and history rhymed." A baton was being passed from older to younger. An inner warmth of hope and optimism filled me as I witnessed its outward expression on the faces of those present.

From a Hegelian dialectical perspective, a synthesis is emerging from the collision of thesis and antithesis. The very spirit of our nation is revitalized. And it confirms what so many of us know: America has always been great and, clearly, still is.