A WAY OF LIFE
Ohio State’s motto reflects a timeless challenge, says Ohio’s chief justice, Thomas J. Moyer.
Aristotle would be at home walking across Ohio State’s Oval at the dawn of the 21st century, although he would be amazed by the ubiquitous cell phones and laptop computers. True to habit, he would pass up Page and Orton Halls in favor of holding his lecture under a tree, but his ancient message would have contemporary meaning: Disciplina in civitatem.
Imagine his array of guest lecturers: Rousseau and Montesquieu, W.E.B. DuBois and Abraham Lincoln.
Perhaps Thomas Paine would be on hand to remind us that the books, the test tubes, and the blackboards have meaning only if their lessons are extended beyond the classroom and carried by all students into the community.
Benjamin Franklin would draw the connection between classroom and community by telling us about the closing moments of the Constitutional Convention.
A crowd had gathered outside Philadelphia’s Convention Hall, and as Franklin emerged after the final vote, somebody shouted, “What have you given us?” After a moment’s reflection, Franklin answered, “A republic, if you can keep it.”
Franklin’s words remain a challenge to us today: “A republic, if you can keep it.”
The Constitution is mere words on parchment if we fail to understand the meaning and commitment of our forefathers. Each generation must learn what inspired Patrick Henry and Susan B. Anthony. Each generation must ask what fueled Lincoln’s courage, and what lit the fire inside Martin Luther King Jr. as he sat in a Birmingham jail.
Former Indiana congressman Lee Hamilton reflected on the meaning of citizenship in a democracy during his 34 years in Congress and as he served as vice chair of the commission that investigated the 9/11 attacks. Hamilton believes that citizenship requires us to understand and appreciate our political heritage.
He has said: “We need to learn the robust American story—the full, truthful, unvarnished account of our successes, our failures, our ideals, our flaws, our progress, and our heroes.
“We need to learn and to teach the techniques of a healthy democracy—participation, consensus building, compromise, civility, and rational discourse.”
The American story is the story of people who reach beyond themselves, of ordinary citizens searching for the common good. Our failures occur when that search is overwhelmed by selfishness and bigotry.
We need go no further into history than the past 200 years to know that the people who make the greatest contributions, and probably live the most satisfied lives, are those who engage in activities that take them outside themselves—who share their education and their talents with something bigger than they are.
When you serve food in a homeless shelter, act as a foster parent, or help a community rebuild from disaster, you are acting to preserve the values that have driven our country for 200 years.
“Education for citizenship” is not a textbook. It is a way of life.
Thomas J. Moyer, who earned degrees from Ohio State in 1961 and 1964, was elected chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court in 1986. A former chair of the Alumni Association’s board of directors, he received the Association’s Professional Achievement Award in 2003.
This essay appears in the March/April 2006 issue of Ohio State Alumni Magazine. In addition, the issue features a story about the university's motto, "Education for citizenship." The magazine is a benefit of membership in the Alumni Association. Learn more about the benefits of membership and how you can make Ohio State stronger at membership services, or call 1-800-762-JOIN.
