Sober Expectations

Dear Readers,

Here's the second of my Honors 240 Blogs. This in particular is in response to Martin Diamond's "A Revolution of Sober Expectations." I recommend it to all of you--it was a very interesting article.

Sober Expectations

Martin Diamond’s concept of sober expectations is particularly brilliant, and reflective of the brilliance of the Founding Fathers. Diamond’s essay sheds light on the perfect balance between idealism and realism that the Founding Father’s so perfectly crafted in declaring independence. These men weren’t fighting to put one form of government in place over another. They weren’t fighting for an unrealistic utopian ideal. They weren’t even fighting with a specific form of government in mind, which one can easily see from looking at history—it took years of chaos under the ineffectual Articles of Confederation before the Founding Fathers even thought about drafting the constitution. These men were simply rebelling according to their own consciences against an institution they reasoned to be evil. In declaring independence they did not demand or even offer any alternative form of government. Indeed, specifically democratic government is never explicitly suggested. The closest the document comes to it is insisting that government can only rightfully be formed by the consent of the governed. That government must be operated by the consent of the governed is neither mentioned nor hinted at. Had the newly independent Americans desired another monarchy, they could have formed one and stayed entirely within the principles of the Declaration of Independence.

This is the genius of the document. This is why it is truly inspired. Firstly, had the Declaration specifically designed an alternative government at the time, many colonies, groups, and individuals would surely have been alienated by and opposed to the new form. This would have created many problems in the course of the war and the solidarity that kept the colonies together and ultimately led to their success might well have been weakened or dissolved. It was the purposeful lack of specificity that contributed to the unity of the colonies and helped them to succeed. Moving on to the inspired aspect of the document, the intended vagueness allows for these principles to be applied in many, if not all, settings. There certainly are and have been places in the world where freedom and liberty are not enjoyed, but a democratic government would not be the proper way to ensure them to the people. I believe the Lord guided the writing of the Declaration of Independence so that it could be a model for any other nation to follow—a formula that could be flexibly applied to any context. I believe that the principles of the Declaration of Independence, if read and applied at face value, could realistically serve as an effective guide in creating any form of government that wishes to protect the rights of the people. I believe that the principles in the Declaration of Independence are eternal. Applied them to a more spiritual setting, they hold true. As Latter-day Saints, we know that we can choose to be subject to the Adversary or subject to the Lord. Because we have agency, neither the Lord nor the Adversary can govern us without our permission. This gospel truth fits right into the ideas of the Declaration of Independence and is just one of many similar examples I could list.

The Founding Fathers knew that they were declaring the independence of a nation of imperfect men, and so they set realistic, achievable goals instead of wasting their time with impossibly lofty ideals (idealistic though they were). This “soberness” allows for the flexibility that the document currently has. This “soberness” is what makes the document not only a masterpiece, but a miracle.

Have a great week!

--Christian

P.S. Here's a video: