Monday, December 7, 2009
How to Survive in West New Jersey
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I think it matters.
ReplyDeleteRoger’s comment (“I think it matters.”) has gotten me thinking. First of all about who these early settlers were, and secondly about who we are.
ReplyDeleteI would like to reassure Roger that for the most part these people really were nice. They treated the Indians as fairly as they could, given their own prejudices, and they treated each other well, for the most part. But if you read the Burlington Court Book, you will see that they were like people everywhere, some good, some not so good.
As for us, I think we want to know that the people who preceded us in this place were basically good people. That not only were they incredibly brave and strong, but also peaceable, and, what really appeals to me, prepared to take responsibility for their own governance. The early efforts to establish a true functioning democracy in this sparsely settled place are truly impressive.
But I was thinking in terms of the sheer fortitude it took to leave the known civilized world behind and establish a new home without any of the support that we all take for granted. So, even those greedy or belligerent types who managed to do this get my respect.