It was in this class where I wrote a winning oratorical piece entitled: “MORAL INTEGRITY: IMPERATIVE for SURVIVAL” heavily quoting JFK’s “City Upon a Hill Speech”.
JFK said, “Our success or failure, in whatever office we may hold, will be measured by the answers to four questions:
First, were we truly men of courage--with the courage to stand up to one's enemies--and the courage to stand up, when necessary, to one's associates--the courage to resist public pressure, as well as private greed?
Secondly, were we truly men of judgment--with perceptive judgment of the future as well as the past--of our own mistakes as well as the mistakes of others--with enough wisdom to know that we did not know, and enough candor to admit it?
Third, were we truly men of integrity--men who never ran out on either the principles in which they believed or the people who believed in them--men who believed in us--men whom neither financial gain nor political ambition could ever divert from the fulfillment of our sacred trust?
Finally, were we truly men of dedication--with an honor mortgaged to no single individual or group, and compromised by no private obligation or aim, but devoted solely to serving the public good and the national interest.”
First, were we truly men of courage--with the courage to stand up to one's enemies--and the courage to stand up, when necessary, to one's associates--the courage to resist public pressure, as well as private greed?
Secondly, were we truly men of judgment--with perceptive judgment of the future as well as the past--of our own mistakes as well as the mistakes of others--with enough wisdom to know that we did not know, and enough candor to admit it?
Third, were we truly men of integrity--men who never ran out on either the principles in which they believed or the people who believed in them--men who believed in us--men whom neither financial gain nor political ambition could ever divert from the fulfillment of our sacred trust?
Finally, were we truly men of dedication--with an honor mortgaged to no single individual or group, and compromised by no private obligation or aim, but devoted solely to serving the public good and the national interest.”
I find them very relevant even today!
One of the most precious gifts that I got during my stint as an AFS Student (1963-64) was a Sketch of JFK that I still have to this day. I am sharing the Sketch with all.
JFK (BGM's ALBUM)
I have not seen a duplicate copy of the Sketch using Google, Bing, and the built-in Safari search engine. I would appreciate it vey much if someone is able to search for one successfully.
THANKS!
I also have this sketch hanging in my office. I really can't find out anything about it.
ReplyDeleteIt's by Ozz Franca, a famous mid-century artist. He was best known for his 1960s cityscape paintings and then in the 1970s, he did drawings of children and clown-children with big eyes similar to Keane. He also did some native american paintings. He did a sketch of Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, Washington and MLK that I know of and some were issued as limited edition, signed & numbered lithos. Most were just open edition copies with no number. Signed/# ones are worth $350-$600....un-numbered ones about $50-$100 in today's market. His work is collectible.
ReplyDelete