Are we living as a city upon the hill?

This week, one of our assignments was to read and comment on the late President John F. Kennedy’s speech “As a City Upon a Hill”. Kennedy delivered this speech on Monday, January 9, 1961; the genesis of his presidency. He had referenced the phrase as delivered from John Winthrop’s 1630 thesis A Model of Christian Charity that was written while upon the flagship Arabella on his voyage to the brave new world that we call the United States. Winthrop explained:

“For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God, and all professors for God's sake.”

But, Winthrop was not the first to use the phrase. The derivation of As a city upon a hill originated with the parable Salt and Light delivered by Jesus during the Sermon on the mount.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.”

The term as a city upon a hill encourages us to understand the importance of our actions as public servants, Americans, and as human beings. Each of us is being watched and judged by somebody. It could be your parents, siblings, spouses, friends, coworkers, and managers. If you are in the public sector, then taxpayers also have an eye on your actions, and will ultimately use your actions to judge you as a servant, and as a person. Of course, in the end, you have to answer to God in our final judgment.

Back to Kennedy’s speech. It was a pleasure to read, as it speaks to the ideals that I hold dear to me: courage, judgment, integrity, and dedication. It takes courage to stand in the face of opposition to argue for what you think is right. As a public servant, it is your responsibility to define right as those things that are in the best interest of your constituency. Again, they are watching and will judge you accordingly for your

decisions. It takes solid judgment to be an effective, respective public servant. You must use judgment to look at the mistakes of the past and vow not to repeat them. While remembering the mistakes, also reminisce about the good things that happened. Take those good things, refine them, and take them into the future when judging which decisions to make, and which ones to not make. One must have the courage to make those judgments with an emphasis on integrity. Integrity is defined by “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness”. A public servant must have the integrity to employ ethical decision making in their daily service. As a servant, integrity does not mean just making the right decision, but also making the right decision that are best for the all people involved. Lastly, a public servant must have dedication. Each day, I go to work with the mindset that I am going to do my best, give 100 percent, keep my head held high, and go home with the pride of knowing that I served my public well. 

To personalize Kennedy’s words; if I exhibit courage, judgment, integrity, and dedication in my personal and professional life, I will make decisions that are best not only myself, but for my fellow man.