Voices That Care: A Reminder of What True Patriotism Looks Like
It was 1991 and the radio stations were playing “Voices That Care” every hour on the hour, and then it was never heard from again. In fact, I had forgotten it even existed until I saw a clip of it in a social media reel (thank you dear internet). As soon as I heard former Chicago frontman, Peter Cetera’s crooning vocals, the memory of it unlocked and I was immediately transported, and the lyrics came flooding back to me.
But in case you too don’t recall this little gem, “Voices That Care” was a song written by David Foster, Linda Thompson, and the aforementioned Cetera and performed by a supergroup in the tradition of “We Are the World” to help boost the morale of the U.S. troops involved in Operation Desert Storm. It featured famous vocalists of the time such as Celine Dion, Luther Vandross, Garth Brooks, and Michael Bolton, along with many famous actors who joined the chorus alongside them. It’s basically a parade of who’s who of celebrities from the early 90s.
Seeing it again was certainly a trip down memory lane, but what really struck me more than that, was the spirit in which it was done. It highlighted how much more divided we are today than at that time, coming off the Regan years. Even though George Bush was president, it didn’t stop people from both parties from coming together to support our nation’s cause. There was no angry hostility, we were all Americans. And while it may seem a tad heavy-handed, as these supergroup recordings often are, it was deeply patriotic. And not patriotic in the sense of displaying an overabundance of flag-waving, chanting “USA”, or hailing our power and strength as a nation, but in the fact that it was done as a show of support and encouragement to our troops — our fellow Americans.
That to me is what true patriotism is about. It is compassion. It is standing in unity with our Nation’s values and caring for our fellow citizens, regardless of who is in office. It is treating each other with dignity and respect. And that is the kind of sentiment I would love to see return to our collective mindset. We may have our disagreements, but we should be moving toward the same goals.
What’s particularly interesting is that many celebrities featured in the large chorus near the end of the video are still relevant today, but marching to the beat of a different drum. And it shows on their face. The innocence is gone. We have allowed politicians and media figures to shape us into a people characterized more by our vitriol than our magnanimity.
I wonder how these same celebrities feel looking back on this video. Maybe someone should show them and remind them of where we once were. Perhaps we all could learn something about the drift we have all participated in. My prayer is that somehow, we find a way back to a place where we can disagree on political issues while still holding a deep tenderness toward our fellow man. Or is it too late? Are we living out what was predicted in Matthew 24:10-14, which states:
“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
Time will tell. It certainly feels like hate and betrayal have increased significantly. Regardless, we can choose for ourselves how we want to live, how we want to treat others, and the legacy we will leave behind for future generations of Americans and even people around the world. Will it be one of hate or one of love? We have to decide.
