With honesty, hope and faith as our three foundational spiritual principles, we move forward to Step Four.
Step Four: Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
In 12-step programs, we find people who have similar experiences. We hear them honestly share their stories. We begin to feel a sense of community, a sense of belonging. Instead of escaping reality, we confront it. We strengthen our hope by connecting with others among us who have overcome. We join hands; and in a spirit of unity, we move forward.
I liken this process to what we are seeing in our nation and the presidential run of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Groups of like-minded people across all races and generations are coalescing under a common solution to heal our nation’s divide. It is time we take a searching and fearless moral inventory of our country.
How would you describe the moral compass of this nation? Depending on which news station you watch, you’ll see that each group (Democrat and Republican) point out the other’s faults, yet take no ownership for their own. How can we change if we don’t acknowledge where we’ve been wrong? Misinformation, disinformation, malinformation… who are you trusting for the truth? Honesty is only one of the moral principles to consider in this inventory.
What about compassion and fairness? For the last three years, the White House stance on the southern border has been that it is secure. Yet, there are news reports that millions of illegal immigrants have crossed the border and continue to do so. Somewhere on the two sides of this coin is the truth. Several months ago, Mr. Kennedy visited the southern border to see for himself. He went to the Arizona border at 2 a.m., not during the tightly controlled, cleaned-up daytime window as President Biden did. Mr. Biden only spoke with officials; Bobby also spoke with the migrants to hear their stories. He embraced a fair and honest view from all sides. Four months later, when he announced his run for President as an Independent, he confessed that he was wrong about his previous views of an open border. He witnessed first-hand this humanitarian crisis and vows that, if he is elected, he will address the border with compassion and fairness to all involved. Bobby took ‘a searching and fearless moral inventory’ of our nation’s immigration at the border.
What about respect and responsibility? Are these values present in this moral inventory of our country? Is it responsible to hold harmless pharmaceutical companies that produce vaccines with adverse effects? Is it responsible to allow companies to pollute our water, air, and soil which subsequently causes illness and cancerous deaths? Allowing this irresponsibility to continue calls into question not only the morality of these companies, but their level of respect for human dignity and life itself.
We all want clean water. We all want healthy air to breathe. We all want good health. We all want these things not just for ourselves but for generations to come. Mr. Kennedy has fought and won these rights for many people. He possesses the experience, strength and hope this divided nation needs to heal.
The spiritual principle of Step Four is Courage. RFK Jr., as he travels the country speaking truth to the American people, is indeed very courageous, especially since his uncle and father were publicly assassinated. Both John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy Sr. chose to speak honestly about a moral direction for America. Bobby, having endured great emotional turmoil in his youth, bravely follows in their footsteps.
I’m sure many of you have heard of the Serenity Prayer. “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” The following interchange is just one example of how RFK, Jr. speaks of the courage to change the things he can. (4) “The Experiment” | Running on Truth | Episode 1 – YouTube.
Restoring the morality of our country will be an arduous task. So many politicians and corporations are only in it for the money. Career politicians have voted along the same lines for decades and no doubt will continue to do so. What our government needs is a new direction. I am so encouraged to see our youth paying attention to the wise counsel of Mr. Kennedy. They have the biggest stake in this upcoming election. They have the most to lose with four more years of division. What an inspiring light of hope RFK shines on their futures!
Thomas Jefferson said, “The cornerstone of democracy rests on the foundation of an educated electorate.” He also said, “Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.” Mr. Kennedy encourages everyone to do their own research as he has done. The days of Walter Cronkite giving it to us straight on the evening news are gone. We need to take responsibility for ourselves and our futures. We need to hold our elected officials accountable and remind them that they represent us. We need a president who is willing to tell us the truth, whether we like it or not. Mr. Kennedy embodies the honesty, compassion, and courage we need in a President.
I encourage you to take this moral inventory for yourself. What is important to you and which candidate best represents the person you are? What do you want for the future of America? What legacy do you want to pass on to the next generation? Make your vote count in 2024. Please join us in securing RFK, Jr. on the ballot in your state at www.kennedy24.com.
