Politics Aside: 4 Takeaways of Senator John McCain’s Life

As family, friends and colleagues gathered to remember Senator John Sidney McCain III at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., we could not help but commemorate the late Senator by gathering as a family to celebrate his legacy and his life.
On Friday, we traveled with our parents to the United States Capitol to witness, for the first time in our lives, an American hero lying in state. While waiting in the sweltering Washington heat on the late August afternoon, we felt a sense of oneness and community with those also standing and waiting to pay tribute to a true U.S. patriot. Reflecting on that moment has given us the realization that although we come from different backgrounds — ethnicities, political views, religions, genders, and generations — the significance and historical nature of this moment-in-time is profound.
Even though we are not of the same political ideology as Senator McCain, we can glean some important life lessons from his life and his death. Here are a few key, overarching, takeaways that we believe Senator McCain embodied and wanted us to enact:
Unity
“Much has been said this week about what a maverick John was. In fact, John was a pretty conservative guy. Trust me, I was on the receiving end of some of those votes. But he did understand that some principles transcend politics. Some values transcend party. He considered it part of his duty to uphold those principles and uphold those values.” — 44th President, Barack Obama
Senator John McCain, in his death, was able to unite the most important people — former presidents, vice presidents, friends, past rivals and political enemies — in a room and implored them to think about the current state of our politics. While many call it a funeral, we know it was more than that. This rare moment of unity, in celebration of Senator McCain, was imbued with a feeling of transcendence and civility. This extraordinary show of oneness during a time of deep political and cultural division was Senator McCain’s last attempt to teach us about the important principle of togetherness as Americans. It was Senator McCain’s way of reaffirming our character as a nation that we are bound by a creed, as old as our founders, of ‘e pluribus unum’ — out of many, we are one — and that regardless of our differences, we understand that we must continue to fight in defense of our American values: freedom, human rights, opportunity, democracy, and equal justice under law. These values are what make us great and are what we should unite around.
Love
“John McCain was not defined by prison, by the navy, by the senate, by the republican party or by any single one of the deeds in his absolutely extraordinary life. John McCain was defined by love.”— Meghan McCain
Among the vastness of Senator McCain’s seemingly lifelong foray in public service, it is easy to overlook that Senator McCain was in fact defined by love. Meghan McCain reminded us that her father wants us to rekindle our enduring spirit of love, which should be at the root of everything that we do as humans. From that root, nothing but good can grow. Whether you believed in his politics or not, everyone should be able to agree that Senator McCain sacrificed for this country out of love. And in this generation, where narratives of xenophobia and bigotry are on the rise, Senator McCain’s altruism must prevail. The abiding love of the masses is so much bigger than the narrow hatred of a few. Even as Meghan McCain was delivering her heartfelt and powerful eulogy, it was hard not to sense the urgency in her voice. As true patriots, we must make our love louder and more forceful than their hate. That’s the only way America will continue to flourish.
Forgiveness
“John’s focus was on creating a better future. As a senator, he supported the restoration of relations with Vietnam, helped bring it about on a bipartisan basis in the Clinton administration and became one of the advocates of reconciliation with his enemy.” — Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger
If you have ever read or heard Senator McCain’s account of his time as a P.O.W. at the infamous Hanoi Hilton, you would understand just how significant and truly admirable his extraordinary public quest was towards normalizing the relationship between the U.S. and Vietnam.
Senator John McCain, in partnership with John Kerry and former President Bill Clinton, played a central role in developing the close ties now enjoyed by two former enemy states, as they led the lifting of the embargo and the diplomatic recognition of Vietnam. Even though Senator McCain could have easily come out of imprisonment hating his fellow man, he came out and instead pursued peace, reconciliation and forgiveness. Again, this is despite the fact that Senator McCain — for over 5 years — was tortured, beaten, starved, isolated in solitary confinement for over two years and denied medical treatment by the North Vietnamese. Equally important, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, arguably someone who played a key role in prolonging the Vietnam War, was one of the people Senator McCain selected to eulogize him. Taken together, these actions display Senator McCain’s greatest lesson, which was to forgive and see the good in everyone — even his opponents. Gandhi once said that “the weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” We can learn much from Senator McCain about developing and maintaining the capacity to forgive as a chance to forge a new beginning.
Service
“There’s a special satisfaction that comes from serving a cause greater than yourself. I heard John say those words hundreds of times, particularly to young people, and you all heard them a lot as well. But for him we know they were not just words in a speech, they were the creed that he lived by. The greater cause to which he devoted his life was America, not so much the country defined by its borders, but the America of our founding values, freedom, human rights, opportunity, democracy, and equal justice under law.” — Former Senator Joe Lieberman
Senator — Sailor — Prisoner of War — Veteran — Nominee for President of the United States — these are a few of the many titles that epitomize Senator McCain’s decades-long commitment to public service. There are few people who can say that they have spent nearly a lifetime, more than 60 of his 81 years, devoted to this country. For many, public service may not be the most appealing of jobs — it typically demands more and pays less when compared to its private sector counterparts. However, Senator McCain demonstrated that a life devoted to one’s country is priceless and one of the most honorable roles. Whether it is volunteering for a few hours or working full-time, participate in the vital work of serving good causes bigger than yourself.
We must do our part to make sure that these virtues embodied by the late Senator John McCain are replicated in our generation and we hope that you are up for the challenge.
About the Authors

Mr. Christman Bowers is the President and CEO of Bowers Consulting Firm, a social impact, strategic advisory and political firm that advocates and advances different causes for the most influential not-for-profits, brands and people who are taking on the most pressing challenges facing our world today.
Mr. Bowers has nearly a decade’s experience in developing and implementing community outreach programs and the management of a variety of socially innovative projects and campaigns. Prior to starting his consulting practice, Mr. Bowers held senior roles at political and technology companies; most notably serving as the African American Coordinator during the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Committee at the White House. Mr. Bowers also served as the youngest managerial staffer in the country during President Obama’s re-election campaign. Mr. Bowers is currently attending Harvard University.
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Ms. Christa Bowers analyzes foreign policy and defense-related issues for a broad range of government and industry clients. Under the Obama administration, Ms. Bowers served as the confidential assistant to the Associate Director for National Security Programs for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) at the White House. Ms. Bowers graduated with distinction from California State University, San Bernardino’s (CSUSB) master’s program in national security studies with a certificate in cyber security and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science, also from CSUSB.
