Radio Address to the
Nation on Family Values
My
fellow Americans:
The
holiday season is a time of gift giving and merrymaking; a time when millions
help churches, synagogues, and organizations like the Salvation Army and Toys
for Tots provide for the less fortunate among us, a time when huge turkey
dinners are cooked, parents find themselves staying up late wrapping toys, and
children's eyes are filled with more and more excitement every day -- a time,
indeed, when all the world seems taken up with plans and celebrations and
family.
That
last word, ``family,'' is one that I'd like to consider for a moment. To be
sure, family is very much on our minds during the holidays, as children and
grandchildren, parents and grandparents, gather to
share the happiness of the season. We know how good it feels to be with our
families -- how it warms and comforts us, how it gives us strengh
and joy. But I wonder whether we always give our families all the appreciation
they deserve. Consider, for example, that the philosopher-historians Will and
Ariel Durant called the family ``the nucleus of civilization.'' They understood
that all those aspects of civilized life that we most deeply cherish --
freedom, the rule of law, economic prosperity and opportunity -- that all these depend upon the strength and integrity of the
family. If you think about it, you'll see that it's in the family that we must
all learn the fundamental lesson of life -- right and wrong, respect for
others, self-discipline, the importance of knowledge, and, yes, a sense of our
own self-worth. All of our lives, it's the love of our families that sustains
us when times are hard. And it is perhaps above all to provide for our children
that we work and save.
Some
have suggested that in today's world, the family has somehow become less
important. Well, I can't help thinking just the opposite: that when so much
around us is whispering the little lie that we should live only for the moment
and for ourselves, it's more important than ever for our families to affirm an
older and more lasting set of values. Yet, for all that, in recent decades the
American family has come under virtual attack. It has lost authority to
government rule writers. It has seen its central role in the education of young
people narrowed and distorted. And it's been forced to turn over to big
government far too many of its own resources in the form of taxation.
Even
so, the family today remains the fundamental unit of American life. But
statistics show that it has lost ground, and I don't believe there's much doubt
that the American family could be, and should be, much, much stronger. Just
last month, I received a report on this from my Working Group on the Family,
providing recommendations for giving the family new strength. Our
administration will be giving these recommendations serious consideration in
the days ahead. But for now we might all do well to keep our families in mind,
to make certain that we don't take them for granted. For perhaps at no other
time of the year are we able to enjoy our families so thoroughly or see so
clearly their importance to ourselves and our country.
And
let us remember that in the midst of all the happy bustle of the season there
is a certain quietness, a certain calm: the calm of
one still night long ago and of a family -- father, mother, and newborn child.
Listen for a moment to the words of the Scriptures:
``And
there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch
over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and
the glory of the Lord shone round about them. And they were sore afraid. And
the angel said unto them, `Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is
born this day in the city of
Now,
some revere Christ as just a great prophet. Others worship Him as the Son of
God. But to all, this season in which we mark His birth is indeed a time of
glad tidings. So, in the midst of our celebrations, let us remember that one
holy family in a manger on that still night in
Until
next week, thanks for listening, God bless, and from the Reagan family to your
family, Merry Christmas!
Note:
The President spoke at