As we celebrate fathers with cards and barbecue picnics this weekend, let’s take a moment to look at some of what we admire most in the great dads (and moms) out there: faithfulness and self-sacrifice. Those old-fashioned virtues of dedication to things that matter are the heart of how trying to be a good parent helps people become the best version of themselves. Talking about virtues might seem sort of antiquated these days.
But it’s worth doing. So while we’re at it, here’s a truly ancient (but powerful) virtue: fidelity. Being true to what matters, enduring through ups and downs, knowing that staying faithful through the hard times make the good times even better — that’s a little of what fidelity means to me.
There’s a new movement out there to get all of us, men and women, old and young, to think about and practice these ideas more deeply. Last year, a Princeton professor and public thinker, Dr. Robert George, unveiled the idea of declaring each June to be national Fidelity Month.
He was dismayed by polls showing an alarming drop in America’s belief in the importance of faith, family and love of country. “These are things that used to unite us as a people,” George said, “regardless of our politics or religion.” His vision is to spend this month each year “rededicating ourselves to God, our spouses and families, our communities, and our country.
” June, halfway through the year, is a good opportunity to pause and reorient ourselves. It’s a tim.
