Matthew Russell: “He was a soldier who had given 45 years of service to his country. 222 years ago, this month, he crafted a farewell…”

“He was a soldier who had given 45 years of service to his country. 222 years ago, this month, he crafted a farewell address to the Nation. In it, he made no attempt to recount his time as a businessman, warrior, lawmaker, founder, Framer, battlefield commander, or President of a United States that he, more than any other, helped to create. {time} 1700 Instead, George Washington, chose to offer ``disinterested warnings of a parting friend,'' which he felt were, important to the permanency of our felicity as a people. Leaders today departing public service might recount their personal journey and thank those who shared some of their path. Washington's final words were nothing of the sort. He chose, instead, to look far into the future and address all of us, the future. None of us can know it. We get occasional glimpses of it by talking to older people, those a little further down the road. From them, we gain wisdom and counsel. Yet, sadly, each generation imagines that it faces unprecedented problems only to dismiss the counsels of the generation or two before them. We find it tough to absorb the Wisdom of Solomon when he stated, ``There is nothing new under the Sun.'' Another way to put it is this: Times change, people don't. Taking this truth, what would George Washington say to us if he were here today? What counsels would he give our Nation? What relevance would it have?…”