In 1776, two centuries and 45 years ago, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson proposed a Great Seal for the United States. The only words on the proposed seal were E PLURIBUS UNUM, a Latin phrase meaning “one from many.”
Viable for the United States?
According to the E Pluribus Unum Project of Assumption
College (now University), e pluribus unum “offered a strong statement of
the American determination to form a single nation from a collection of states.”
That phrase also indicates “America's bold
attempt to make one unified nation of people from many different backgrounds
and beliefs. The challenge of seeking unity while respecting diversity has
played a critical role in shaping our history, our literature, and our national
character.”
But is that motto still viable in the U.S.? After
all these years, it seems that the nation is hardly one/unified on anything.
Oneness/unity does not depend on sameness or
the denial of differences. But surely it does mean having mutual respect for those
with whom we disagree and treating each other civilly. In addition, any sense
of unity means people with differing views working together for the common
good.
Originally, I was intending to list some of
the great political, social, and religious differences now harmfully dividing
USAmerican society. But perhaps those divisions are too evident to need further
elaboration here.
Viable for the World?
This blog
post was largely prompted by the ubuntu emphasis on the inherent
oneness of humanity, which I wrote
about on April 24. Even though a South African word and concept in its
origin, proponents of ubuntu now speak of “the global family” and the
basic oneness of humankind.
There have
been many individuals and organizations longing for and working for the idea
expressed by e pluribus unum to be descriptive of the whole human race.
The World Federalist Movement and One World, one of its associate
members, are good examples.
The latter
says on its website, “Inspired by such visionaries as Einstein
and Gandhi, we regard inclusive federal democracy at the global level as a
necessary precondition for justice, peace and prosperity for all of humanity.”
And they cite these words spoken by Einstein
in 1945: “With all my heart I believe that the world’s present system of
sovereign nations can only lead to barbarism, war, and inhumanity. Mankind’s
desire for peace can be realized only by the creation of a world government.”
That assertion takes the idea of e pluribus
unum to a whole new level.
What
Can We Hope For?
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but
it bends towards justice.” Those words, based on a statement by Theodore
Parker, a 19th-century clergyman, were most notably emphasized by
MLK, Jr. and later by President Obama. They have been powerful words of
encouragement for many justice-seekers.
But I wonder if we can also say that the moral
arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward unity/oneness. Teilhard de Chardin wrote about
the universe moving to a future Omega Point, meaning that everything is spiraling
towards a final point of unification.
In a helpful February
20 article, a religion professor in South Africa wrote,
As a philosopher and theologian, [Teilhard] developed a unique synthesis of science and religion based on an evolutionary understanding of what he called the ‘cosmic Christ’ – the idea that the universe and everything in it is constantly moving towards a point of perfection defined by unity and love.
That is what Teilhard later called the Omega point. And
that is why the author titled her article, Pierre
Teilhard de Chardin: prophet of cosmic hope .
Well, whether considering the current situation
here in the U.S. or the world as a whole, it is abundantly evident we still
have a long way to go. Omega of course is the last letter of the Greek
alphabet, and it seems that at present we may be no further than at beta (the
second letter).
Still, grounded in cosmic hope, we can dream
of and diligently work for the goal of e pluribus unum not only in the
U.S. but for the whole world.
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