While visiting the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts in October, I was beyond impressed by the prolific nature of his work and the way it collectively captures the essence of Americana. The beautiful sense of nostalgia and innocence Rockwell portrays in his illustrations and paintings create a window into the life of everyday Americans in a way few have been able to capture: A young Law Student falling asleep studying, 3 children running from an adult as they sneak out of a swimming hole, a yogi mesmerized by a young soldier performing cat’s cradle, and of course, the warm Christmas cheer of all his Saturday Evening Post-holiday editions.
All of these pieces tell a story beyond what is on the canvas, and that is where the true magic lies in Rockwell’s art. His work depicts the innocence and wonder of years past. It is as if you are seeing the world looking through the pure and virtuous eyes of a 7-year-old.
The body of work is astounding, but the one piece that stood out most to me was The Four Freedoms, based on Franklin D. Roosevelt’s de facto war standard he debuted at the State of the Union Address in 1941.
To put that speech in context, FDR was just elected president for an unprecedented 3rd term. World War II was raging on and the world was in a very dark period facing instability and immense danger. Most of Europe had fallen to the Nazis and Great Britain was still standing strong. At the time most Americans (similar to today) were supporting a more isolationist approach to stay out of the war altogether. President Roosevelt’s “Four Freedoms” speech was intended to help sway popular opinion in the United States, attempting to convince its citizens that we needed to join the war and support Britain, our closest ally.
What touched me so deeply was not only the amazing imagery and scenes from life in the 1940s that Rockwell portrayed so exquisitely on canvas, but the sentiment FDR was parlaying to the American people with his Four Freedoms:
Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear.
The first 2 freedoms are enshrined in our Constitution and are as important as any other freedom we have as citizens of this country. The importance of freedom of speech and freedom of religion is the bedrock of what makes America the progressive, liberal democracy it was originally intended to be. But the final 2, really evoked my emotional response. I recall being overwhelmed by emotions taking in the empathetic thoughtfulness of the concepts, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. I was blown away at the idea that political leadership can care that much about the people they govern. My eyes began watering above my mask, my girlfriend looked at me with a certain sweetness, knowing how much it meant to me.
What touched me so deeply was the intangible of want and fear and the emotional warmth and sentiment it provoked. The fact that an American President knew the importance of these 2 basic human emotions, how paramount they are to a free and happy society; and how he wanted to bring comfort to the people of the land, was a profound eye-opener. In his speech, President Roosevelt was stressing these Four Freedoms were not only a National ideal but one that was needed ‘everywhere in the world’.
As I walked through the exhibit, it occurred to me that in today’s day and age, leaders do not seem to grasp this concept at all, nor seem to even care. Leadership is like their 3rd priority. The people themselves have also forgotten the importance of freedom from fear and want, a truly basic human right almost more important than any other.
Why have we as a people forgotten the true ingredients that ensure happiness? What has happened since that has altered our collective psyche to be more capitalistic and competitive? When did our sense of unity disappear? Why do we neglect our sense of brotherhood, the importance of family, what it means to be Americans as well as citizens of the world? If these ideals do not unite us in the western world, what does?
When did we lose our innocence?
Interestingly, The Four Freedoms did not really take off as FDR had hoped. It was too ahead of its time even then. George Gallup himself concluded that the President’s rallying cry had ‘not registered a very deep imprint here at home.’ And by 1943 it was widely panned as an embarrassing flop.
Understanding that this western world battle cry did not resonate with the American people in the early 1940s made me realize that even then, these high ideals and basic freedoms that FDR outlined to drum up support for the war effort, failed miserably. The core belief was that of unity; the freedoms we take for granted were never free. I cannot help but speculate that this was a significant turning point in our country’s history. Perhaps it was the impetus for where we are now as a society. Innocence was lost, cynicism ruled the day, and no one paid much attention to the actual meaning of the Four Freedoms. Their importance was lost on the people they were designed to embolden and hold safe.
Roosevelt was aware of our history, our ideals as a country. The Four Freedoms were ideas that our founding fathers themselves would have championed. As an embodiment of what we stand for in America, they laid out the reasons he believed joining World War II was the responsible thing to do. These freedoms were the ideals worth fighting and even dying for - as many did. My guess is the media did not get on board, too uplifting of a story to sell papers; and the people themselves were too comfortable and distracted in their everyday lives to care enough to embody the ideas. Sound familiar?
It is an interesting commentary on the state of our nation. Our priorities are not in the right place at times, and the more cynicism becomes the norm, the more lies hold power and become the replacement for truth. That is a very dangerous place to be in this fragile experiment we call democracy.
What we should hold dear, we take for granted; and what we deem important, isn’t important at all.
Maybe we can rethink what is important after this dense and challenging year of 2020. I know I will.
Please click the photos below to view Norman Rockwell’s Four Freedoms paintings.
