We Are More Than Our Worst Moments

Ted Kennedy has been eulogized, memorialized and laid to rest after a 15-month battle with brain cancer. I am truly saddened by his passing. Although he lived to an advanced age and quite a bit longer than the lives of his brothers, 77 seemed much too young for a man to leave us when there is still so much work to be done.

Born into wealth, Edward M. Kennedy could have spent a life of leisure, offering nothing of real value to society while benefiting from its system. But the “Lion of the Senate” as he came to be known, worked tirelessly in the halls of power, giving a voice to the common people.   President Obama fittingly called Kennedy “The Soul od the Democratic Party.”  With the employ of inspiring oratory, he worked hard on behalf the underprivileged and underserved.

There is no person alive in America, who does not benefit from his advocacy and with his passing, I wonder who will fill his shoes?

Too often those in power make our government a personal affair, forgetting the obligation to the people. Our Government it too often influenced by big moneyed-interests but a lifetime of legislative accomplishments is case in point that Kennedy’s promises were not just campaign slogans to garner votes, but responsibilities he followed through on.

You might be wondering why I am turning a blog about happiness into a political diatribe? Because the life of Ted Kennedy is proof positive that we are more than our worst moments.

Yes, arguable Kennedy’s worst public moment was a doozy and one where the life of a young woman was lost.

Kennedy testified later that he was driving about 20 mph when he made a wrong turn onto Dike Road – a dirt road without the illumination of street lamps. He attempted to navigate a wooden bridge with no guardrail. Kennedy said he braked, but the car drove off the side into Poucha Pond, where the vehicle landed upside down, underwater.

Kennedy said he swam out of the car, but Mary Jo Kopechne didn’t. He said he called for the woman and tried to swim down to get her several times with no success. When Kennedy finally reported the incident to the police ten hours had passed.

He acknowledged his actions after the incident made no sense to him but added that he was in shock and had suffered a concussion.

Speculation as to whether Kennedy was drunk still abounds and if the life of Mary Jo Kopechne could have been saved if the accident was reported sooner.

What happened on that bridge in Chappaquiddick cannot be overlooked and 40 years later people are still pointing to it as a way to denounce the moral character of the late Senator. In fact, when I read the account myself, I can’t help but think to myself, “what the Hell was he thinking!?” Not actually having been there, I like everyone else, can only speculate.

My point here is not to defend the indefensible, but to remember that in spite of that horrible failing and lack of judgment, Senator Kennedy also accomplished much good for the working people of this nation.

Personally, I would not want to be judged solely by my worst moments. My life is far more complex. Like all of us, it has victories and defeats, good decisions and bad. Some of us can say without exaggeration, “there but for the grace of God go I” in regards to getting away with potentially dangerous actions that could have put other people in the way of bodily harm or even death. We are the sum of our experiences, ALL of them – whether proud moments or moments of disgrace. In many ways Senator Kennedy spent the rest of his life atoning for his worst public moment. After the incident, he went on national television to apologize. He then asked the citizens of Massachusetts to decide whether or not he should continue to represent him and went on to win 62% of the vote in his re-election. It is a testament to the strength of the people rather than the weaknesses that they chose to forgive. Our country is better for them having done so.

More than 300 bills that Kennedy and his staff wrote have been enacted into law. He earned the respect of colleagues because of the seriousness in which he viewed his position in the Senate, his incredible grasp of the issues and his ability to reach across the isle to find compromises with Republicans of disparate views.

Here is a short list of some of Senator Kennedy’s accomplishments:

• Enhanced Food Safety
• Strengthened the FDA
• Funding for Medical Research
• Funding to Feed the Elderly
• Funding for HIV/AIDS treatment
• Funding for Vaccinations
• Raised the Minimum Wage
• Strengthening Unemployment Insurance
• Protecting WORKERS Pensions
• Equal Pay For Women
• Work Safety Regulations
• Protecting Workers right to Organize
• Guaranteeing worker compensations

Despite a complex life chock full of the dichotomy of loss and gain, tragedy and triumph, success and failure, Kennedy’s role in our government will continue to have a positive affect on the lives of all Americans for generations to come.

It’s true that for some critics there can never be redemption for Kennedy. Frankly, that is more of a statement about the critics than about Kennedy.

To quote Tennyson, as Ted Kennedy often did,
“We cannot be kind to each other here for even an hour. We whisper, and hint, and chuckle and grin at our brother’s shame; however you take it we men are a little breed.”

In order to truly be free in our hearts and in our souls we must be able to honor a person’s contributions to society in spite of their failings. That said, thank you Ted Kennedy.

“He makes no friends who never made a foe.” Again… Tennyson.

Thanks for reading,