Franklin Rock is here

“Sometimes heroes come when we least expect them.” These words are at the top of the back cover of Franklin Rock. I had no idea when I began to write this book that we would find ourselves in such uneasy times just as the book was being published. Franklin is here just when we need him.

With all that has transpired in the past week, many of us are shaken. Whoever imagined that American citizens would attack the Capitol? As I watched a window being smashed with a shield ripped from the hands of one of the Capitol Police, I felt as if my own home were being invaded. So many emotions competed for my attention. Anger, shock, and disappointment all had their turn, but the emotion that owned my mind was sadness. What could possibly have caused so much anger that a crowd of American citizens would think it appropriate to viciously attack the home of our government?

Although our focus is on the turmoil at the Capitol and President Trump, we need to open our eyes to a much broader problem. Our culture is changing dramatically. Some will say it’s about time. Others will lament what will be lost. As I have recommended to my children, copy the traits of mine that will enhance your life and discard those that will not. That is what we should be doing as a society. Western culture has provided magnificent art, literature, and incredible advances in science that have changed the world. Our economic system has brought billions out of poverty; this is undeniable. Hate, bigotry, racism, and of course slavery have also been a part of the history of our culture.

That famous adage, “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater” seems especially applicable at this tumultuous point in our history. We need to proceed very carefully as we remake our society. Progress is not guaranteed. Regression is just as possible as advancement.

As Henry Clay King, Franklin Rock’s best friend, tells us in Chapter One, “Franklin Rock is here for us, for all of us.” Henry meant what he said. Everyone counts. Fixing the world means that we cannot afford to ignore anyone. It will require each of us to have an open mind and a wide-open heart.