Still trying to figure out: Where is America going?

I’ve experienced some of the upsets that America faced over sixty years ago. It was 1960, a presidential election year. Richard Nixon was the Republican candidate and John F. Kennedy, a Catholic, was the Democrat.

The foundation for the election and for daily life was spelled out in the preamble to the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

We must compare the values that surface in society that are opposed to these truths. Two men carefully following the 1960 presidential race were both great Americans. One was Rabbi Raphael Levine of Temple de Hirsch Sinai. The other was William Warren, manager of KOMO-TV. They were both Rotarians and had weekly luncheons which provided them the opportunity to discuss the negative atmosphere of some of the sponsorship taking place. They wondered how they could counteract it.

Because of the role of Mr. Warren, a TV program was discussed.

He wished to have a TV program with a Catholic priest, a protestant pastor and a rabbi, discussing issues of the day.

This presented many problems, especially financial ones.

Mr. Warren agreed to help Rabbi Levine, provided he could obtain the other two religious leaders.

One day, unexpectedly, I met Archbishop Connolly in his office.

He said to me, “Rabbi Levine has some idea for a TV program.

I want you to go talk to him.” Subsequently, in October 1960, three candidates for a TV program appeared before Mr. Warren, and the program called “Challenge” was launched.

Mr. Warren told us he wished to challenge the audience and to challenge each other.

The station assigned us a representative to select a subject of the week for discussion.

The model for the discussion needed to reflect regular conversation and avoid what could be offensive to the ears of another.

One of my experiences will further explain this.

Years later, I was in Jerusalem and met Rabbi Levine.

By that time, from experience and the TV program, we had become friends.

I asked him to take a walk with me on the Avenue Dolorosa.

It is the place from where the Romans condemned prisoners to their place of execution at Calvary.

He and I decided to remain silent.

We met many small groups traversing the same route.

When we had finished the walk we went to a quiet place to share our experiences.

I asked the rabbi, “What is your opinion today of Jesus?” He said, “He was a great man.

I consider him in the same category as John F. Kennedy, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr.

and Abraham Lincoln.”

Those who could not understand what others with a wider view than theirs had, took an extremely negative position. They not only rejected the views of these great men but they also took their lives. This negative, hostile attitude affects not just politics but the ordinary conversations between people. We should be prepared to respect the views of the other in conversation.

Father Treacy turned 103 in May.