Few of us have the opportunity to craft what we know will be our final words to the world or the prominent stage from which to deliver them.
The late Senator John McCain, who died at age 81 from brain cancer over the weekend, had just that opportunity. In a statement released by his office, he parted with words of thanks for the life he enjoyed and encouragement for the nation he so loved.
Here is what he had to say.
“My fellow Americans, whom I have gratefully served for sixty years, and especially my fellow Arizonans,
“Thank you for the privilege of serving you and for the rewarding life that service in uniform and in public office has allowed me to lead. I have tried to serve our country honorably. I have made mistakes, but I hope my love for America will be weighed favorably against them.
“I have often observed that I am the luckiest person on earth. I feel that way even now as I prepare for the end of my life. I have loved my life, all of it. I have had experiences, adventures and friendships enough for ten satisfying lives, and I am so thankful. Like most people, I have regrets. But I would not trade a day of my life, in good or bad times, for the best day of anyone else’s.
“I owe that satisfaction to the love of my family. No man ever had a more loving wife or children he was prouder of than I am of mine. And I owe it to America. To be connected to America’s causes – liberty, equal justice, respect for the dignity of all people – brings happiness more sublime than life’s fleeting pleasures. Our identities and sense of worth are not circumscribed but enlarged by serving good causes bigger than ourselves.
“‘Fellow Americans’ – that association has meant more to me than any other. I lived and died a proud American. We are citizens of the world’s greatest republic, a nation of ideals, not blood and soil. We are blessed and are a blessing to humanity when we uphold and advance those ideals at home and in the world. We have helped liberate more people from tyranny and poverty than ever before in history. We have acquired great wealth and power in the process.
“We weaken our greatness when we confuse our patriotism with tribal rivalries that have sown resentment and hatred and violence in all the corners of the globe. We weaken it when we hide behind walls, rather than tear them down, when we doubt the power of our ideals, rather than trust them to be the great force for change they have always been.
“We are three-hundred-and-twenty-five million opinionated, vociferous individuals. We argue and compete and sometimes even vilify each other in our raucous public debates. But we have always had so much more in common with each other than in disagreement. If only we remember that and give each other the benefit of the presumption that we all love our country we will get through these challenging times. We will come through them stronger than before. We always do.
“Ten years ago, I had the privilege to concede defeat in the election for president. I want to end my farewell to you with the heartfelt faith in Americans that I felt so powerfully that evening.
“I feel it powerfully still.
“Do not despair of our present difficulties but believe always in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here. Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history.
“Farewell, fellow Americans. God bless you, and God bless America.”
His words echo with the fervor of his patriotism, as well as the urgency of a man nearing the end of his life. His statement reads as the dying wish of a true American for the people he leaves behind—“do not despair of our present difficulties but believe always in the promise and greatness of America,” he concluded. His words sound downright presidential.
As a man who endured truly dark days as a POW in Vietnam, and later two defeats at presidential bids, McCain had nothing but gratitude for the full life that he led. “But I would not trade a day of my life, in good or bad times, for the best day of anyone else’s,” he said.
I’m sure his memory will face criticism from those who don’t consider our current political situation as one of our “present difficulties.” Some of the late senator’s statements reference specific policies and agendas in Washington that have strong support and strong opposition both from political leaders and the general public. I’m sure the late senator, who spent over 35 years in elected office, knew that there would be those who find fault in his statement and legacy. But he wrote the statement anyway. Just as he relentlessly worked in what he believed to be the best interest of the country during his career, despite political setbacks.
But the most important message that McCain left us with is a call to trust in our country and its ideals. He wants everyone reading his final words to remember the things that set our nation apart—“liberty, equal justice, respect for the dignity of all people.” In upholding these ideals, we make ourselves and our country stronger.
McCain will lie in state at the Arizona State Capital and United States Capital during this week. He will be buried at a private ceremony at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
