It is a song which acknowledges the beauty of our nation—mind, body, and soul—yet it also contains within it a prayer for God to grant us grace and to “mend” (or heal) “every flaw” of our nation. Those who know our nation’s history will recognize that these lyrics, while uplifting and hopeful, should also serve to remind us that in our “stern, impassioned” pursuit of freedom, we should remain mindful and exhibit a “self-control” that does not trample upon the rights of others. A holistic healing of our nation—mind, body, and soul—is what Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. uniquely brings to the 2024 presidential race. Kennedy’s vision for America offers the healing that our nation so desperately needs.

Healing the MIND of our nation is perhaps the most difficult challenge we face. If we do not heal the MIND of our nation first, then there can be no hope for healing of our nation’s BODY and SOUL, for it is in the mind where the seeds of freedom may be planted and nurtured. It is in the mind–in our choices and our expressions of free will–that our independence is born. True independence cannot exist without an expression of mind, and as each individual steers the ship of his or her own mind, coming together in a true healing of the collective MIND of a nation of diverse people is most certainly a challenge. But it is a challenge we should embrace and not seek to avoid! The Bible tells us that as iron sharpens iron, so do we sharpen the minds of one another. Without the friction of ideas, we are fated to remain dull. Without the friction of ideas (which inevitably generates some heat) solutions to the problems we face will never be found. The solutions are found where the dividing line meets.

The BODY of our nation is the ground we walk upon every day. No matter where we live, that space we inhabit deserves our care and attention. It includes, but is not limited to, our “purple mountains majesty” and “amber waves of grain.”

“America, the Beautiful,” ends its first verse with a prayerful request for the people of our nation to be united in “brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.” Messages that once encouraged Americans to see the beauty that exists around them and inside of them, regardless of their circumstances, have been replaced with messages that encourage people to prioritize their differences. The SOUL of our nation is healthy when we seek to find unity despite any differences or disagreements we have. It is the recognition of our commonalities first that allows us to draw close enough to each other so that we may appreciate and learn from our differences.

Restoring health to the soul of our nation does not at all mean that we should pretend as if our differences do not exist or that wrongs in our nation’s history have not occurred; but focusing more on our differences than on our commonalities weakens us as a nation. We often hear concerns about securing the borders of our nation, but we must never forget that the heart and SOUL of America is only as healthy and as strong as the brotherhood and sisterhood that we share with one another “from sea to shining sea.” It is that which is so precious as to require the physical boundaries to protect. Our identity as Americans can be carried with us even when our feet are not standing upon American soil. It is an identity that—if we protect it—can live on and exist for future generations. We must seek to protect the soul of our nation, for it is very much under threat.

The lyrics of “America the Beautiful” offer a holistic view of our nation that encompasses the mind, body, and soul of America. Contained within these words is an expression of a hope for unity and an acknowledgment that our nation is composed of both beauty and imperfections–and that it is okay for us to acknowledge them both as we strive, not for perfection, but for ways to make every tomorrow a better day than today. RFK, Jr. is the only candidate for president who has a holistic understanding of the present threats that exist to the mind, body, and soul of America. I believe he is the hero that we need today in every way that the words of this song describe—one who can heed the call of freedom while also holding a mindfulness of the need for us to seek for ourselves and to offer to others the grace and mercy which the protection and defense of our beautiful nation requires.

Here are the lyrics:

“America, the Beautiful”

“O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America!

God shed His grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!”

“O beautiful for pilgrim feet,

Whose stern, impassioned stress

A thoroughfare for freedom beat

Across the wilderness!

America! America!

God mend thine every flaw,

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law!”

“O beautiful for heroes proved

In liberating strife,

Who more than self their country loved

And mercy more than life!

America! America!

May God thy gold refine,

Till all success be nobleness,

And every gain divine!”

“O beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears!

America! America!

God shed His grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!