Where in the World is Mr. Lavoie?: Swimming in a Sea of Nationalism

It seems like just a week ago I was jumping off of a boat and into an ocean filled with sharks.

I've posted a couple of comments on Social Media about my course revision for my honors classes this fall. The idea came to me a couple of weeks ago and it has been on my mind even with all that I've been doing and seeing. This week, the idea has become even more prevalent in my thoughts.

I'm in France. Actually, I am in a Starbucks along the Grands Boulevard. It sits almost directly across the street from the restaurant "Flam." This is a place we ate in April, it had the pizza-like food. This Starbucks has a strong wifi signal and is only a short walk from my hotel, which does not have a strong wifi signal. It's about 10:30 am here and although I should be out and about, I am not. I logged in about 30,000 steps and 13 miles yesteday. I hit my step goal for today on the walk to Starbucks. It was 9:15.

Needless to say, I am a little tired. I thought that traveling without a bunch of kids would be relaxing...and it is, but it is still exhausting. Yesterday was Bastille Day. In France, it is the Fete Nationale. It is their version of the Fourth of July. It seems fitting that I am here during this celebration after missing my own country's national holiday. I awoke later than expected yesterday and immediately hoped on the Metro. The goal was to get to the Arc de Triumph and watch the French military parade. The city was alive. Tons of people were out and many were waving small tri-colours. I found myself about 10 people deep from the road, but I was also taller than most. Therefore, I could see. The parade was much longer than expected. It included some tanks, drones, and soldiers on horseback (I had seen them drilling the previous day). At the conclusion of the parade, there was a flyover of helicopters and then some paratroopers descended from an airplane. It was quite exciting. The worst part of the parade was the very end...thats when everyone tried to leave at once. There was a terrible traffic jam of humanity along the Champs Elysee. I was stuck in the middle. I hate crowds. I was patient...and eventually made it through.

I returned to my hotel and refreshed myself for a daylong adventure. I hopped on the Metro and took off for Pere LaChaise Cemetery. This is the most visited cemetery in the world according to the guidebook. It is the final resting place for over a million souls. Some of the most influential people in French history are buried here, but that was not the point of my visit. 20 years ago, I walked the narrow passages of this cemetery with my brother Phil to find the final resting place of Jim Morrison (The Doors). I'm not really a music guy, but I've always love the Doors. I think finding a little bit of home in a foreign land is always nice. I haven't been able to see my brother as much as I'd like and this was also a way of thinking about him while here. After the graveyard, I took off towards the Place de Bastille. The prison had been destroyed in 1798 and there is nothing left except a couple of street signs. I thought that there would be a little more decorations there because it was the 14th, but there was not. It began to dawn on me that there is a reason why the French don't call the day Bastille Day.

France is a large nation and its colonial expansion took it to all corners of the globe. Much of that expansion occurred after the storming of the Bastille. Not all of the expansion went well, but along the parade route, and later at the Eiffel Tower, it was apparent that the 14th is a day of universal celebration in France. People of all ethnicities could be found waving the French flag or cheering for their nation. France, like America, is a melting pot. I remember my first visit to France. I was sitting in a McDonalds with my brother. Three guys, about our age, approached. They were Algerian. We spoke for about 1 hour. I don't remember the details of our conversation, just that it was pleasant. I also remember our chaperon explaining that we probably shouldn't be hanging out with those types of kids. It was my first taste of racism. It tasted terrible.

I've seen a lot of posts about the Confederate Flag as of late. You know the one I mean...it has the US Flag and the Confederate Flag. It compares the 4 years of the Confederacy to all of the bad things connected to the history of America. (Indian Removal Act, Japanese internment, etc) This post really bothers me. Sure, the US Government and military has some bad history. It is unwise to ignore this, but the post fails to capture the point behind the differences of the Confederacy and the federal government of the United States. Our founding fathers never pledged perfection. They knew it was impossible. Instead, the promised to make a "more perfect" union. One that gets better over time. This is important to me. For all of our bad, our country has been an unbelievable force for good and for humanity. We have improved upon ourselves. Every generation really. Whether it was universal suffrage for white males, during the Age of Jackson, or the elimination of slavery, or the granting of the right to vote for women, or the fight for civil rights in the 60s, or the elimination of DOMA. We have been making ourselves more perfect since 1776. We will never be perfect. We will always be responsible for some bad stuff, but lets not forget to think of the good we've done too.

Sitting by a light post in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower last night, I was thinking about these things. I was reading a book about Americans who traveled to Paris in the early 1800s. Their names included Emerson, Sumner, and Morse. They were the young people who were about to make history. They kept a written account of their experiences and David McCullough put them into his "Greater Journey." It is the second time I've read this book, but I had to reread it. He draws upon the connections I cherish...the ones between the United States and France. The inspiration this place had on so many Americans is palpable. It started with helping us out during the Revolution and it continues through this day.

The high school curriculum for United States history is split into two years. The first is early American history through the Civil War and Reconstruction. The second is modern US History. I find myself, every year, justifying the exclusion of much of the Civil War stuff, because of time constraints. I cover only the "essentials." Next year, as a trial, I am starting with the Civil War. It is, without a doubt, the single greatest (most important) event in our history. It's ramifications are still so strong over 150 years later. We use it as a dividing point. It is my goal to use it as a focal point. I will teach it first...and teach it correctly. Then, when the students understand what happened, we will backtrack to discover the causes...because everything that happened before the war helped cause the war. I am mapping it out this summer, but it has never been more clear to me. I am so excited.

About a week ago, I was, in fact, swimming in a sea filled with Sharks. Our guide Albert, on our final day, took us to a beach with a giant Belize sign on it. We posed for pictures. Albert was filled with pride in his nation. It was obvious. He loved showing us Belize's greatest destinations. In the tiny nation of Central America, we saw some poverty. It wasn't all good, but it was more good than bad. Here in France, amidst the celebration, I was some things I did not like, but it was mostly good. That's really this blogs major point. Those who want to be negative will only find negativity. Those who look for human decency and for goodness can find it in so many places. This world is not a perfect place, but I'm not looking for perfect. I just think that we can make it more perfect by seeing as much of it as possible...it gives us a better outlook and when we look inwards, it helps us there too.