How Low The Mighty Have Fallen

"How low the mighty have fallen" is an old statement, which expresses the trap which human nature can fall, once it has risen to certain heights. Historical figures such as Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, are only two examples of men who rose to great heights, only to end up meeting ignominious ends. Mighty empires have risen to great heights, only to come to crashing ends; the most well known of these being the mighty Roman Empire.

I am once again reminded of this statement, as I view the TV mini-series titled, "The Kennedys". This TV docudrama has brought back many nostalgic memories of my childhood, and what it was like to be a young American girl, living through the period which was termed "Camelot". I was only a sophomore in high school, the day President John Kennedy was assassinated, and the idyllic world of my childhood came crashing to an end. Not many years later, Bobby Kennedy's run for the presidency, offered a promise of Camelot's return, only to be shattered once again, by his assassination. I can personally say, that the world has never seemed the same to me.

But, how low have the mighty fallen - and who are they? Were the Kennedy's mighty? They certainly seemed that way to a young idealistic girl of the 60's. Later of course, as the docudrama reveals, I learned just how flawed my heroes were. Of course all youth has it's idealism shattered in one way or another, as we are introduced to the more sobering realities of life.

Still, this docudrama also brings back to memory, in spite of their human foibles, the fact that the Kennedy brothers, John and Bobby, were mighty heroes of a human sort. We see in the story, how they fight against the blatant inequalities between Blacks and Whites, which plagued our nation at that time; inequalities, which my children's generation would be shocked and appalled at. The great Civil Rights movement, which John and Bobby championed, along with other mighty figures, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and many others, was a legacy that will exonerate John and Bobby in my mind at least, in spite of what ever other human flaws they possessed.

I always saw John and Bobby as men of real compassion for their fellow men. Boys who grew up in what might me called, an ivory tower compared to millions of other Americans; they did not see their ivory tower as an entitled privilege, rather something which placed a huge responsibility upon them, to help others have a chance at the American dream. The contrast between their own childhood, in comparison to the childhood's of America's Blacks in particular, inspired them to fight to make our country and our world a better place for all.

The Kennedy's were Democrats. This political party then became synonymous with champions of the underprivileged and down-trodden, after the days of the Civil Rights movement, and the legacy of the Kennedy's. But, what happened? What does this democratic champion of human rights stand for today? Do they still represent the ideals of John and Bobby? Or have they fallen far from their once noble position?

Today, the Democratic Party is the major supporter of abortion on demand. As John and Bobby once fought for the rights of all, today's Democrats fight for the rights of a woman, while ignoring the rights of her helpless unborn child. In fact, John and Bobby's own brother Teddy Kennedy, was a major supporter of every ignominious platform of the Democratic Party, to which his idealistic brothers once belonged. Planned Parenthood, the nations largest abortion provider, has made numerous and hefty contributions, almost exclusively to Democratic candidates, via their political action committee.

Now, 41 Democrats in the Senate have stated they would not support legislation ending taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood. In fact, they say, that if they cannot fund the nations' largest abortion provider, they will shut down the government. How low the once mighty champions of humanity have fallen. Why?

As history will teach us, too often when mankind reaches a certain zenith, he forgets something. And when he forgets, he falls. Too often, those who start out with noble intentions, end up forgetting those intentions, because they become too full of themselves, and forget their purpose as a result. "Empty yourselves of yourselves", Christ said. This is the pitfall that all of us who start out with good intentions must avoid at all cost - otherwise - "The best intentions of mice and men oft times go astray" becomes the sad fate of the Mighty.