I was seven years old when I was first exposed to the idea of public service, although I didn’t really know what it meant. But the words of President John F. Kennedy in January of 1961 resonated – “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
Building upon the work and sacrifice of The Greatest Generation, people of my generation and beyond, found in these words a pathway for an honorable life. The idea where you would dedicate all or a portion of your time on this earth to the service of your nation, your neighbors, and the common good, working in roles or jobs that likely would not bring you great wealth or accolades. Jobs that could, however, deliver a strong sense of pride, commitment, and contribution.
Fifteen years past JFKs utterance, I discovered my own pathway when I diverged from the family tradition of blue-collar, union jobs to pursue a career in natural resources, a world of opportunities I never knew existed. And during my 45 plus-year apprenticeship and commitment to the conservation of wildlife, fisheries, forestry, and all natural resources, I met and worked with hundreds of people who were inspiring, brilliant, accomplished, hardworking, committed, and unselfish. People who constantly impressed me and pushed me to work harder because they were and are so good at what they do, and I aspired to be like them. People who lived humble lives. People who believed in something greater than themselves.
But suddenly, before our very eyes we are being told it was all for naught. That these public servants, without laying proof on the table for all to see, are corrupt, wasteful, and fraudulent. And through the delivery of lies, which is now the currency of the realm, they are being told their performance has been subpar and inadequate. And honest, caring people are being coerced into delivering the lie or losing their job, which has always been tenuous and is certainly no longer secure today.
What is happening infuriates me. It is wrong, disrespectful, unprofessional, unethical, dishonest, and likely corrupt. It is playing out in ways that are contrary to the principles of our nation and what we used to stand for. And soon the tipping point will be reached and the outcomes will be unpleasant. And the sons and daughters and grandchildren of those who believed, committed, and took the pledge will be out of work and cast aside because of the actions fools.
And some place along the way we killed the idea of the common good and have replaced it with an unnamed beast yet to be identified, but a beast none the less. And after the damage has been done, the trust has been destroyed, and the people see what remains, I wonder, who will be left answer the call once again? Will the phoenix rise one more time?
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