Posterity! You will never know...

[Mark D]

Of all the founder's quotes I believe that one captures our responsibilities better than any other.  In fact, I like it so much that it's at the bottom of every one of my posts.

That said, while we all know the famed quote some may not be familiar with its source.  It was the closing sentence in a letter written by John Adams to his wife Abigail on April 26, 1777; two years and a week after Lexington and Concord.

As the letter plainly shows, the heady buzz of victory had long since worn off for the colonists.  Many were tired of the fight.  Adams laments his own physical illness as well as the loss of drive and spirit among his compatriots.

He misses his wife and family and wants to go home.  Then, as if keenly aware that he was writing not only to his wife but to us, the future, he closes with that most famous of quotes.  Here is the entire text of what I think is one of the more powerful documents of the Revolution:



I have been lately more remiss, than usual in Writing to you. There has been a great Dearth of News. Nothing from England, nothing from France, Spain, or any other Part of Europe, nothing from the West Indies. Nothing from Howe, and his Banditti, nothing from General Washington.
There are various Conjectures that Lord How is dead, sick, or gone to England, as the Proclamations run in the Name of Will. Howe only, and nobody from New York can tell any Thing of his Lordship.
I am wearied out, with Expectations that the Massachusetts Troops would have arrived, e'er now, at Head Quarters. -- Do our People intend to leave the Continent in the Lurch? Do they mean to submit? or what Fatality attends them? With the noblest Prize in View, that ever Mortals contended for, and with the fairest Prospect of obtaining it upon easy Terms, The People of the Massachusetts Bay, are dead.
Does our State intend to send only half, or a third of their Quota? Do they wish to see another, crippled, disastrous and disgracefull Campaign for Want of an Army? -- I am more sick and more ashamed of my own Countrymen, than ever I was before. The Spleen, the Vapours, the Dismals, the Horrors, seem to have seized our whole State.

More Wrath than Terror, has seized me. I am very mad. The gloomy Cowardice of the Times, is intollerable in N. England.
Indeed I feel not a little out of Humour, from Indisposition of Body. You know, I cannot pass a Spring, or fall, without an ill Turn -- and I have had one these four or five Weeks -- a Cold, as usual. Warm Weather, and a little Exercise, with a little Medicine, I suppose will cure me as usual. I am not confined, but moap about and drudge as usual, like a Gally Slave. I am a Fool if ever there was one to be such a Slave. I wont be much longer. I will be more free, in some World or other.
Is it not intollerable, that the opening Spring, which I should enjoy with my Wife and Children upon my little Farm, should pass away, and laugh at me, for labouring, Day after Day, and Month after Month, in a Conclave, Where neither Taste, nor Fancy, nor Reason, nor Passion, nor Appetite can be gratified?
Posterity! You will never know, how much it cost the present Generation, to preserve your Freedom! I hope you will make a good Use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven, that I ever took half the Pains to preserve it.

[crak]

Fantastic.  Thanks, Mark.

[Nickle]

Sure puts it in context.

[jimbtv]

Thanks Mark.

My background in American history is what I learned in school. Being a product of the 1958 - 1970 educational system I got more American history than most but like many, I left it all behind when I got out of school.

Appleseed has renewed my interest in the subject and I just love when someone posts a quote that is special to them. Your posting really does put things in context.

[voortrekker]

Mark,

Thanks for the post.

It bucks me up to read the quote again.

It reminds me, once again, those few, that gave up everything, towards freedom for all.

For themselves, for their family, for their friends and for their nation.

It reminds me to tell others that might not know this jewel of history so that they may might appreciate the sacrifices and blood spilt by our Forebearers before them.

It reminds me that our Forebearers faced slavery or death so that we could have a third alternative, the ballot box.

It reminds me, to be the best damned RWVA instructor I can be.

Thanks again Mark.



Brett out.

[dwarven1]

I am wearied out, with Expectations that the Massachusetts Troops would have arrived, e'er now, at Head Quarters. -- Do our People intend to leave the Continent in the Lurch? Do they mean to submit? or what Fatality attends them? With the noblest Prize in View, that ever Mortals contended for, and with the fairest Prospect of obtaining it upon easy Terms, The People of the Massachusetts Bay, are dead.
Does our State intend to send only half, or a third of their Quota? Do they wish to see another, crippled, disastrous and disgracefull Campaign for Want of an Army? -- I am more sick and more ashamed of my own Countrymen, than ever I was before. The Spleen, the Vapours, the Dismals, the Horrors, seem to have seized our whole State.[/i]

Alas, with the current state of the People's Republic, these passages only show to me that nothing seems to change. 

[jimbtv]

... Alas, with the current state of the People's Republic, these passages only show to me that nothing seems to change. 

Actually things have changed a lot. For me, Adams' quote adds context to the situation at the time, and from his position you wouldn't think that anything as wonderful as the United States of America would have blossomed. But it did. The quote provides me with renewed strength because out of adversity comes great things. As Adams proved, we have to stay the course.

[Francis Marion]

Thanks for posting.  View the original letter here:

http://www.masshist.org/digitaladams/aea/cfm/doc.cfm?id=L17770426ja

[Cheeks]

I'm glad this thread was revived. Thank you!

[kool aid]

Holy Cow!

The dude was wrapped around the Axle!

Most excellent contextualization-

the tail end of a RANT!

OMG this is..... so cool!

And here we go with.....
the rest of the story:

I often struggle with balancing my 'real life' here at the RWVA with that 'other' life I have to live the rest of the time. It can get darn intrusive.
and there comes those dark moments when I wonder if it's worth the trouble.
then I get this thread.
Maybe it's been here all along, but I get to it. A year later!

And, not to put too fine a point on it, I was discouraged and ready to consider the old 'houdini' route. Fade away and find a boy scout troop needs a marksmanship merit badge consultant. Go teach at one of the 'big name' schools, something else besides this thing of ours, imperfect and beautiful and full of the chaos of the world we live in. It has not been easy. ≈

And Then.
Then I remember all the ones who have taken that route in the last couple of years. Can't imagine that's easy either.
I did not come here for 'easy'.
Wise man once told me:
Talk is cheap. Money buys Whiskey.

I have been around since 2007, and more of the 'heavy hitters' that were around in those halcion days are gone than remain.
And they even told us (me) that it was going to get hard and we needed to make up our minds 'now' to go the distance, get a thick skin, what not.
And those very guys are gone now. floating under their parachuts. They pulled the ejection seat lever.
And maybe the plane was just... making a funny noise.  Oh I don't know. The Metaphore Mill is a little wonky tonight......

And I hold no rancor or ill will towards them. I love them, even.
Because nothing they could have told me would have prepared me for this last year,  in my personal life. nothing left to do but smile smile smile....

Every body has their " Bail OUT" point. And we don't know what it is until we reach it ourselves. Hard to come back once you hit the ejector switch, I gather. Best to stay inside the cockpit where you can steer the plane, rather than floating under your parachute. at least you got a chance to land it that way. and you count yourself lucky if you survive the ejection. IT'S  not often pretty. and then the 1/4 billion dollar plane just crashes, wasted.
but I digress....

So I ask myself, : how bad do I want it? To be a part of the mission, the message? Been close to pulling the handle a couple of times here.  Anyone else? That's rhetorical question. We've all been there I bet. but this plane we fly- it's a gem without price. way more valuable than quarter billion.
Simple, efficient, effective- appleseed's methods and mission.

do we want old J ADAMS to repent in heaven he took half the pains? I don't.
not on my watch!

And as there is no TV in my life, I have not seen the John Adams HBO thing.
I bearly keep up with the forum these days. But I'm guessing he was kind of...... different.




This quote came at the end of a letter that could be called a 'dark night of the soul' moment. A rant, if you will. The sorrow of the world were crowding in close to him, it would seem.

And I had the context all wrong. I didn't have any idea.

<cut to the chase Kool:
Talk is cheap. Money buys Whiskey.>

He was in a place not unlike the one I have found myself of late!

What does anyone have in their lives today that compares to what they had to go through to get us this wonderful country and system of government? Some pretty heinous stuff, to be sure.
but given the stakes- I'm glad they figured a way through.

I'm greatful they found a way through.

So much so that I'll figure a way through- for my own self, and for the sake of OUR posterity.
hand off the ejection handle, eyes out of the cockpit.

That's what's cool.
That's what 'recontextualize' means when I write it.

To get our minds right- there is real work to be done there. inspire another crop of IIT's. prey that one in ten decides to stick it out. SOM/SOM.

Bob calls these quotes 'love letters from the founders". good one, that. Maybe someone will find some use in this, my own little rant, tucked away in an obscure thead on this forum. I hope so.

cos I'd hate to think this is all for nothing.

Thanks to v'treker for the chance to hash this out for myself with him via PM.

It's hard to know what goes behind another's words- and I tend towards the strange and indirect expression of myself in the written word. Bear with me here...

So......

god bless us all, especially those who are "else where". and most especially the ones who have stuck it out through all the chaos. Takes a special kind of moss back to endure here. My stubborn bone is stronger now!

god bless the ones who have yet to come. I prey they find this good thing of ours cared for and available as it was for me/you/us when I/we got here. beautiful thing, RWVA.

and......
that's all folks!

Yours VERY truly
brotherkool

[dragonfly]

It is a great motivator.

dragonfly

[Andy in NH]

Too bad Brother Mark is no longer with the program.

He and I earned our Rifleman's patch on the same day at the same event.

I miss his fellowship and insight at Appleseed shoots.

Mark could recite portions of this quote at the end of a Appleseed weekend to the students with an unrivaled eloquence, yet everyone felt the gravity of the circumstance.

Another Appleseeder saw him this year at the rehearsal for the Lexington reenactment.

I look forward to our paths crossing again at some point.

Cheers Mark!

[voortrekker]

I wish you the best Mark.




Brett out.