The values, the programs, the formula, the determination, and

The words of Michael Mandelbaum—“The values, the programs, the formula, the determination, and the patriotism responsible for America’s past success are still here to be tapped”—echo like a timeless oracle. They remind us that the greatness of a nation is not a fleeting spark, but a fire preserved in the embers of its history. These embers lie waiting, ready to be kindled anew whenever courage, vision, and unity call them forth. What Mandelbaum reveals is not a prophecy of decline, but a summons: that the strength which built a mighty republic is not lost, but merely waiting for hands bold enough to draw upon it.

Values form the foundation of this teaching. In the ancient manner, they are like sacred stones upon which the temple of a civilization is raised. Honesty, labor, faith, and justice—these are not relics to be admired but living forces. In the age of the Founding Fathers, these values birthed institutions where freedom could dwell. In times of crisis, they summoned forth leaders who placed duty above self. They whisper to us now: “Do not forsake us, for we are eternal, and we are the bedrock upon which the future must stand.”

The mention of programs and formula is not idle. These speak to the wisdom of order, the structures and patterns by which societies prosper. No army marches without formation; no harvest flourishes without the farmer’s plan. America’s triumphs in industry, science, and governance were not born from chaos but from designs—policies that channeled human energy, formulas that married vision with discipline. Just as the ancients codified laws in stone to preserve justice, so too must each generation rediscover the guiding formulas that harmonize freedom with progress.

But even values and formulas are powerless without determination. This is the flame of the spirit, the will to endure when storms rage. Think upon the winter of Valley Forge, when George Washington’s ragged soldiers stood against despair itself. Hungry, cold, and clothed in rags, they yet persevered, their resolve unbroken. Their victory was not secured by muskets alone, but by an indomitable spirit. Mandelbaum reminds us that such determination has not perished; it flows in the blood of every generation, awaiting the hour when it must rise.

Then comes patriotism, not as shallow pride, but as the deep love of a people for their common home. It is the force that binds the many into one, that makes the farmer’s plow and the scientist’s pen part of a shared destiny. Recall the days of World War II, when men and women across the land—rich and poor, young and old—labored together in sacrifice, not for themselves alone, but for the survival of liberty. This patriotism was the wellspring from which they drew courage to face darkness and prevail. Such love of country does not vanish; it merely waits to be rekindled.

The lesson for us, children of a new age, is clear: the treasures of the past are not buried, but waiting to be claimed. We must not lament decline as though destiny has abandoned us. Instead, we must tap these ancient sources—values to guide us, programs to direct us, determination to strengthen us, and patriotism to unite us. They are tools already forged, waiting for hands willing to wield them.

What, then, should we do? In our own lives, we must practice honesty in speech, diligence in work, and courage in hardship. In our communities, we must build programs of learning, service, and justice that uplift all. In our hearts, we must guard against cynicism and rekindle love for the greater whole—our families, our towns, our nations. Each act of integrity, each sacrifice for the common good, each spark of determination feeds the flame Mandelbaum speaks of.

Thus, let us rise with the wisdom of the ancients: greatness is never lost; it merely slumbers. And when we choose to awaken it, when we tap the deep wells of values, programs, formulas, determination, and patriotism, we shall find that the power which built the past is the very power that will guide the future.