[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 94 (Tuesday, June 29, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7831-S7832]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  REMARKS OF FORMER SENATOR HANK BROWN

 Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, most of my colleagues in this body, 
I'm sure, remember my predecessor, Hank Brown. He represented me for 10 
years as the Congressman from Colorado's 4th district, and I had the 
further privilege of working with him during my 6 years in the House. 
Since he retired from this body in 1996, I have relied on

[[Page S7832]]

his knowledge and experience. As you might know, Senator Brown is now 
President Brown, the head of the University of Northern Colorado, in 
Greeley, the Senator's hometown.
  Recently, President Brown spoke at the Colorado Prayer Luncheon in 
Denver. He spoke on God's love, and our role in this world. His 
thoughts are, as always, particularly insightful and relevant.
  I ask to have these inspirational words printed in the Congressional 
Record.
  The remarks follow.

            Remarks of Hank Brown, Colorado Prayer Luncheon

       Ladies and Gentlemen, today is a day of renewal. It is a 
     renewal of our commitment to our Maker as well as a renewal 
     of our commitment to each other. The fact that so many 
     different faiths join together in this luncheon is a sign of 
     our commitment to each other's religious freedom.
       The incomprehensible tragedy at Columbine is on all of our 
     minds. It will reshape our lives as well as the families of 
     the victims. Its impact will be with us for many years.
       Next month it will be 46 years since my brother died in a 
     gun accident. He was only 16--not much younger than the 
     children who were murdered at Columbine. The other day my 
     mother said to me that not a day goes by that she doesn't 
     think of him and miss him. I suspect that the parents and 
     loved ones of the victims at Columbine will be the same. The 
     memory of those children will be with them every day for the 
     rest of their lives.
       How do we explain it? How do you reconcile the tragedy in 
     your own mind?
       We believe our God is good, we believe our God, is love, we 
     believe our God is all-powerful and capable of controlling 
     everything. How could something this evil be allowed to 
     happen? It's not a new question. It's been with mankind 
     throughout history.
       A few thousand years ago, a fellow by the name of Job had 
     the same questions. He was devout, religious and pious. He 
     was committed to carrying on the work of his Lord, yet great 
     tragedies were visited upon him. He lost his home. He lost 
     his fortune. He lost his health. He even lost his beloved 
     children. But he didn't lose his faith. And throughout it, he 
     asked ``Why?'' Was he being tested? Was he being punished? 
     I'm not sure we know. His friends came and talked to him, and 
     they suggested that he must be being punished, that he must 
     have done something wrong. And yet, of course Job hadn't. He 
     hadn't been evil; he hadn't sinned. He'd kept the faith. The 
     attitude of his friends perhaps is parallel to the way many 
     of us think. It is natural to think that if we are good, if 
     we follow the rules, if we observe the mandates, good things 
     will happen to us. And yes, if we sin, we'll be punished. And 
     yet, Job hadn't sinned. I don't pretend to know the answer. 
     But I want to speculate with you this afternoon, and I want 
     to suggest that part of the answer lies in God's purpose for 
     our lives in this world.
       What if this earthly existence is not intended to be a 
     paradise? What if our Maker's real kingdom is not of this 
     world? What if the purpose of our earthly existence is to 
     train us, to prepare us, to test us--not for this world, but 
     for the next? What if the commandments of Moses and the 
     admonition to love each other is not a checklist for 
     prosperity in this world, but guidance for how we'll 
     behave when we truly accept grace? Not a way to earn 
     grace, but what we'll do if we accept it. What if those 
     commandments are the best advice in history on how to live 
     a joyous life and find happiness on earth? It's a 
     different thought, isn't it? If it's so, then our earthly 
     existence may not be about earning our way to heaven or 
     even enjoying a perfect life on earth. It may be about 
     learning and preparing for the next life.
       Parents face every day, something of the challenge that our 
     Lord must experience. How do you prepare children for life? 
     We love our children more than life itself. Do we do their 
     homework for them? Perhaps some of you have faced that 
     question. If you don't help them with their homework, they 
     may fail and they may not have the chances you hope for them. 
     But the story doesn't end there. If you do it for them, what 
     do they learn? How do they learn that they have to prepare in 
     advance for the next time? How have you helped them learn a 
     lesson for life?
       Growing up, I couldn't understand my mother. How could she 
     be so tough? She never once bought the stories I brought home 
     about how everyone did it, how it must be OK because everyone 
     else got by with it. In fact, she was never even tempted by 
     them. I recall a series of incidents of her forcing me to 
     confess my sins--once to a storeowner a few blocks from here 
     where I'd taken some gum, once to my grandmother, once at 
     school. Those forced confessions resulted in unbelievable 
     embarrassment. How could she do such a thing? If I wanted 
     something, her answer was, ``I'll help you find a job.'' I 
     worked 20-40 hours a week while I was in high school, and, in 
     the summers I had one or two full-time jobs, depending on the 
     summer. My parents were divorced. She worked full-time. She 
     didn't have a lot of time to supervise me. But her strength 
     was to keep me busy, and she kept me so busy I almost stayed 
     out of trouble. As I look back, I wonder whether I have been 
     near as good a parent as she was.
       I will never forget the Clarence Thomas hearings, and I 
     suspect some of you may have that feeling as well. One of the 
     instances I recall was a question posed by a senator--a 
     person of great integrity--who had very strong doubts about 
     Clarence Thomas' judicial philosophy. When his turn came to 
     ask questions, the senator said, ``Clarence Thomas, I see two 
     Clarence Thomas's, not just one. I see one that seems so 
     kind, generous, thoughtful and warm. And then I see one that 
     is mean, cruel and hard. Which one are you?'' Justice Thomas 
     responded immediately. He said, ``There is only one Clarence 
     Thomas. And I am him. I used to wonder how my uncle could 
     pretend to care for me so much and be so hard on me. It 
     wasn't until later that I learned that he was the one who 
     loved me the most.''
       I wonder if our Lord has in mind to prepare us for a life 
     to come. Could tragedies and trials in this life prepare us 
     for the next? It's a question worth asking. The year my 
     brother died, I was 13. My grandfather gave me a book, It was 
     written by Woodrow Wilson. It was a wonderful little book 
     called ``When a Man Comes To Himself.'' It had as strong an 
     influence on me as any book I've read. Wilson, as you know, 
     was an idealist. In the book he talks about what the real 
     joys in life are. He observes that the real pay one gets from 
     a job is not the paycheck at the end of the month, although 
     that's important. The real joy comes from what you do. A 
     bricklayer or carpenter can drive through town and see the 
     homes they've built providing shelter and warmth for 
     families. Others can look at the work they've done and see 
     how it impacts lives and changes the people they know. 
     Wilson's thesis was that you are what you do with your life. 
     You've seen those ads where they say you are what you eat. I 
     sincerely hope that's not true. His thesis was that you are 
     the role you play among your fellows. If that's true, ask 
     what your life amounts to. Wilson's thought was that we are 
     the sum total of how we help each other and the role we play 
     amongst others. Perhaps that's a good guide for us to 
     evaluate what we do in life. It's also a pretty good guide to 
     examine whether you've found the real joy in life.
       I don't know the answer to Job's question. Like you, I am 
     troubled by the events and the currents of evil in the world. 
     I, like you, suspect that our responsibility is to do what we 
     can to make sure the tragedy never happens again. I'm not 
     sure there's a surefire formula to prevent disasters. But I 
     do believe that the freedom God gives us to live our lives 
     and make our choices surely must be designed to prepare us 
     for another world and help us understand that we have a role 
     in making this world better. If we learn from this, and all 
     of us go forth determined to make a difference from this 
     moment on, the tragedy, in one way, will have served to make 
     our world a better one.
       Thank you.

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