78-06-A3
- Main Page \ Reagan Radio Commentaries \ 1978
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Do Right[edit]
Transcript[edit]Every generation thinks the preceding one left the world in a mess for them to straighten out. Each generation challenges the morals and customs of the past. We did it, our parents did it and our children's children will do it. There's nothing wrong with that as long as some generation doesn't discard time-tested, proven values simple because they are old. Charles Edison, son of the great genius Thomas Edison wrote something I thought you might like to hear. He said that a reporter once asked his father if he had any "advice for youth." Thomas Edison replied -- QUOTE-- "Youth never takes advice."--UNQUOTE-- and went about his business. Then Charles writes -- QUOTE--"Like my father, I doubt that my advice will be taken. Youth seems to like to learn the hard way--on the battlefield of their own experience. However, here are some thoughts derived from my travels through seventy-three years of life. "My advice is double edged: it is presented to youth and, by the same token, to our country. For our country and its youth are synonymous. My generation--and the generation immediately preceding it--will soon be a memory--either pleasant or unpleasant, depending on the effect our lives had on our country. It is you--the young people of America--who will be taking over. "The basic ingredient of my advice is a resurrection of honor. Honor, an old-fashioned word, but one that encompasses everything--duty, responsibility, knowledge and adherence to one's heritage and traditions, respect for the eternal values. An honorable man can live a life free from fear. He knows his duties to his family, his community and his nation, and will exercise them to the best of his ability. He is aware of his responsibilities--first to himself and then to the world around him. He takes the trouble to learn his background--his family, his nation and his God--and uses this knowledge to enrich his own life and the life of all around him. The honorable man cherishes the heritage made available to him by his family, by the founding fathers of his nation and by the thousands of years of history in which men strove for freedon and decency. He knows and respects the eternal val ues which have come to him from all these years and from all these peoples. A man's honor is the greatest treasure he owns. It will make him rich beyond all dreams of avarice. "And so, the essence of my advice is to seek out the meaning of honor and, once this is realized, to exercise honor as the basic force of life." --UNQUOTE-- Then Charles Edison sums it all up in this infallible guideline for individuals and for governments. --QUOTE--"When in doubt--do right." -- UNQUOTE-- This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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