As you are aware, on this date in 1941 the American naval fleet at Pearl Harbor was subjected to a devastating surprise attack by Japan.
The event has been chronicled in a number of books but one that is very detailed is Gordon W. Prange's At Dawn We Slept.
The title At Dawn We Slept was very fitting. At Pearl Harbor, not only were American military forces in the Pacific taken completely by surprise, but the entire country was caught off guard.
Indeed, America had been asleep, even as armies marched and navies sailed as a part of war or the prelude to war all over the globe.
The 1970 movie Tora Tora Tora told the story of Pearl Harbor and the closing scene was very telling. After the attack, the Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto said of the United States, "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve."
We know from history, and from our parents and grandparents, what happened next. Pearl Harbor galvanized the American cause in a massive war effort dedicated to total victory.
Yamamoto's words were both an accurate assessment and a prophetic assertion. In short, Pearl Harbor woke America up.
Today, it appears the country is slumbering again. Many do not know what is going on in the world, in government, in their communities, or within their local schools. In some instances, a few individuals do not even know what is going on in their own families.
It is unfortunate that many are addicted to entertainment, to leisure, to personal pursuits, and to getting rather than giving.
On Sept. 11, 2001, a tragic event occurred that shook America out of her complacency. After 9-11, Americans were united in their efforts to crush terroristic groups who meant to cause the country harm.
As the years have gone by, however, the feelings of safety and security and prosperity have gradually made America sleepy again.
I wouldn't dare predict that another tragic event is on the horizon, but at the same time, we must ask what it might take to arouse Americans to at least know what is going on in the world today. And we must wonder what it might take to cause us to perhaps care, and - dare we hope - that we care enough to take steps to secure the peace of the world where we can?
We must never forget the lessons of Dec. 7 or the lessons of Sept. 11. Nor must we ever forget our responsibility to think as much of others as we do ourselves.
With the holiday season upon us, it is time to do that. It is a time to enjoy the love of family and the significance of the season. It is a time to celebrate from the depths of our hearts, to be giving, and to enjoy peace, prosperity, and whatever blessings come our way.
But if we are only focused on ourselves - our wants, our preferences, our entertainment, our feelings, our satisfaction, our possessions - we become oblivious to the uncertainties of life and to the frequent instability of the world in which we live.
In the end to think only of ourselves makes us more vulnerable. And when we look at the world today, and when we take note of all of the hostile groups that hate America and all of her citizens, vulnerable is the last thing we want to be.
David Wilson, EdD, is the associate principal at Jefferson City High School. You may email him at [email protected].