Reagan’s Big Lessons

Many years ago, as a young man from Maine, life took me into the Reagan White House.  Nothing done by me was of any consequence, except that I watched – and learned. As we ponder Ronald Reagan’s birthday, which passed last week, what should we remember about him?

First, we should remember that no good thing happens – ever, near or far – without first imagining it, then believing it can be done – having faith – and then fighting to make it happen. Reagan imagined a better world, a world made better by Americans made strong by faith, will, heart, and effort.

He called on us, all of us as Americans, to imagine a better future with him, to have faith in it with him, and to work with him to make it so.

Such was the power of his vision, spirit, and personality that he literally reversed decades of cynicism, hopelessness, and pessimism. Let it not be said that idealism has power.

An inveterate optimist, naturally self-effacing, he seemed able to see the future through all the clutter, noise, murk, and confusion that passes for politics, and to stay unaffected by its downdraft. Like a Maine Guide, confident in the ways of the woods, he guided the nation from darkness to light.

Having survived an assassination attempt, managed to cut federal income taxes, and created a rapport with Gorbachev while calling the Soviets an “evil empire,” Reagan created 16 million new jobs, wrestled down inflation, cut government, and asked Americans to hear their “better angels.” We did.

Speaking directly to every American – and being heard by many as if he were right there – he said: “Anything is possible in America if we have the faith, the will, and the heart. History is asking us once again to be a force for good in the world.”

To Reagan, a child of the Great Depression, and World War II, with an alcoholic father, and a parent who had lost a baby at birth, these were not just words. He empathized. He called on us to be our best.

The idea of pursuing the American Dream, helping others to gain freedom, reflected another firm conviction – that government must be kept limited. Individual liberties are always under fire since the government seeks to increase power – and concentrated power comes at the expense of liberty.

As far back as 1964, at age 53, Reagan spoke about the dangers of government growth, how the threat to our liberties was real, would be persistent, and had to be met. In “A Time to Choose,” he said: “You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness.”

He continued:  “If we fail, at least let our children and our children’s children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done.”

Reagan not only inspired America but warned us. He had been warning us long before he became president. His appeal was that we are “equal to our time,” step up to protect freedom, take responsibility, and understand that being citizens of this Republic is a sacred trust. It is on us.

Beyond his freedom-centered policies, inspiration, and warnings to keep government limited, what else did Reagan teach us? He taught us not to take ourselves too seriously, to recall that life is not a chore but a blessing, not to be suffered but enjoyed, that we are all human and life is amusing.

In a nutshell, Reagan taught us to understand how precious freedom is, to cherish it and each other, to keep asking what the right thing is – and then have the courage to do it.

He also taught optimism, good cheer, and humor. He reminded us not to be defensive, to dare to laugh. Jokes were a medium of leadership, rapport building, shared amusement, and even peacemaking.

Among my favorites were the many ways in which he poked at himself, laughed at his humanity, and in this way reminded us to laugh at ours. Remember?  “Thomas Jefferson once said, ‘We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.’ And ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying …” 

Today, we are blessed to have new national leaders, by all indications who appreciate these pivotal lessons. On what would be Reagan’s 114^th birthday, just a smile and nod to the Gipper!

Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, attorney, and naval intelligence officer (USNR). He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (2018), and is National Spokesman for AMAC. Robert Charles has also just released an uplifting new book, “Cherish America: Stories of Courage, Character, and Kindness” (Tower Publishing, 2024).