The Soul of America

The “soul” is defined as “the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being”…often regarded by some, but not by all, as being immortal. Other words used for soul are “spirit, inner self, psyche, ego, true being, life force, personality, and essential being.”  Sometimes “soul” is defined as “emotional or intellectual energy or intensity, especially as revealed in a work of art” as in “His interpretation lacked soul.”  In religious, philosophical and mythological traditions, the soul is the “essence of a living being,” which consists of “reason, character, feeling, consciousness, memory, perception, and thinking.”  

In the Gospel of Mark 8:36 (also in Matthew 16:26 and Luke 9:25) Jesus says, “What does a man gain by winning the whole world at the cost of his true self?  What can he give to buy that self back?” Apparently the “essence of who we are—our true self” is of great importance to Jesus.  

Do nation’s have a soul?  Is there such a thing as “The Soul of America?”  Is there an “essence of what America is, or is meant to be?  Does America have a “true self”—which consists of “reason, character, feeling, consciousness, memory, perception, and thinking?”  

Jon Meacham believes America does have a soul.  In The Soul of America, The Battle for Our Better Angels, he provides historical perspective to support his claim. He concludes that “the soul of America is ultimately one of kindness and caring, not rancor and paranoia” (USA Today). 

A nation, like any individual self, has a tendency to be self centered—to want to be “First,” above all others.  A nation, like any individual self, wants to gain power and wealth for itself.  The important thing is “US” even if it means at the expense of our neighbors.  A nation, like any individual self, tends to fall for the lowest common denominator—that which is accepted by the “in-group.”

Jesus has concern for the nations, too.  “What does a nation gain by winning the whole world at the cost of its true self?  What can a nation give to buy that self back?”  What can we do or give to regain our “reason, character, feeling, consciousness, memory, perception and thinking” as a nation?