Puritan Idealism

Mark Pierce has composed an essay which analyzes the puritan idealism of the pilgrims on the Mayflower and how it translated into a singularity of purpose and enduring tenacity that allowed them to succeed in 17th Century North America. He then correlates the pilgrim's experience to American and British involvement in 21st Century Iraq.

In President Bush's speech this week in Britain, he made reference to puritan ideals and discussed common purpose, national strength, moral courage, and patience in difficult tasks as necessary for success. Mark's essay reminds us of the importance of those elements in the pilgrim's success and how they apply to Iraq. And publishing the post during the Thanksgiving Holiday is most appropriate. It's titled A Puritan Idealism in Iraq.

In my house, the piece was read out loud by my teenage son and the subject caused much discussion. You could say the essay was critically reviewed by a bunch of average folks from mid-America and the results were unanimous. My son thumped his chest twice, Sammy Sosa style, and said, "It's good." No higher praise is achievable from him. A bit more articulate was my wife, who said, "It's powerful." I think so too.

For many reasons, I want to encourage all my readers to visit Mark's site, Earthly Passions, and read A Puritan Idealism in Iraq. Afterward, I'm sure everyone will personally thank Mark for writing the essay. It's a marriage of clear thinking and talented writing. Hopefully, his friends and family save Mark the last piece of pumpkin pie.

Happy Thanksgiving!