Over the last several days, much has been written about Ted Kennedy. As a young lad growing up on Cape Cod, the Kennedy’s were an undeniable part of my life. And while I did not take to the street to witness the motorcade that traveled up from Hyannis Port to Boston, and I did not stand in line with the thousands who waited to pay respects at the Kennedy library, I found myself watching the funeral, and later in the day the burial televised from Arlington National Cemetery. I am not unmindful that this is a bankruptcy blog. So I ask this: is there much that people facing bankruptcy can learn about the life of Edward M. Kennedy? I think there is and this is what I write about today.
There is little need to reiterate some of the unsavory events that crept their way into the life of Ted Kennedy, certainly not in this article. As was evident by his letter to the Pope Benedict read by Theodore Cardinal McCarrick at the burial, Ted Kennedy knew that he was a fundamentally flawed man. And again, without discussing the long history, the controversies, the gossip, the facts: he was right. He was flawed.
We all are.
While most of us will never make the same mistakes that Ted Kennedy made, none of us will slip into our graves declaring that our lives were perfect, or better said, that we were perfect. We all have decisions that we regret, and we will all take to our own graves the errs we wish we could undo. At some point in our lives we find ourselves wondering “how the hell did we get here?” and the answer is found only by looking to the person we see in the mirror. With the lights on.
And like many of us, Ted Kennedy faced the mirror.
Yet despite those flaws, despite those mistakes, despite those embarrassing moments that would have sent weaker men cowering in shame and out of the public eye, Kennedy persevered. He believed that health care was (is) a basic right for all people regardless of means. He fought for what he believed in. While there was plenty of room to disagree with his ideology, no one could disagree with his passion. Despite the tragedies in this life that were far beyond his control, and the colossal errors of judgment that were well within his control, he was admired by his supporters, respected by his adversaries and loved by his family.
Tragedies leave sometimes invisible and painful scars. The shame and guilt of our mistakes may haunt us for years. The embarrassment or fear of seeking bankruptcy protection may seem insurmountable. We are forced to examine our own financial failures and sometimes we point fingers at those who might have contributed to our failings. Ultimately, at the end of the day, we only have the mirror. But we cannot forget that bankruptcy itself, like the tragedies that fall upon us and mistakes we make, is an inherently temporary process. Assuming time is still a friend, life may still welcome opportunities to, borrowing Senator Kennedy’s words to Pope Benedict: “…right [your] path.”
Looking the debt demon in the eye is never easy. Yet the demon can be overcome, and in bankruptcy, one can find a sense of redemption. Life can move forward and once again, you can strive for good things. It’s not so much as an end, as it is a beginning of a new phase.
Very few will ever gaze at the demons that tried to stare down our late Senator. But by the example of his life, we can find the courage to get back on the path we originally set out for and right our own path. And the first step is recognizing that we can, in spite of our flaws. Senator Kennedy’s life teaches us that it can be done. To my readers, I humbly submit that this is precisely the lesson we should never forget.
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