A nation may be tempted to put on the clothes of past adventures and to play the songs of previous generations, to salute what was saluted in the past, to gather up into a pantomime of courage that recalls the actual courage of the past.
But the past's challenges are past. If a nation is to rouse itself to a new courage, it must do so by turning toward the challenges of the new day. If this can't be done, then what follows is a mere puppet show, a costume drama, a farce even or a shadow play.
Name the challenges of the new day with great care; speak precisely and forthrightly; cast off the shadows of the past and step forward; today is more than dark enough without them.