I've been thinking about a redefinition of the concept of reparations, as applied to the United States and the legacy it inherited from slavery.

Let me begin with a general statement of philosophy. I believe that a person becomes what he does. When a person does lousy or spiteful things, he becomes lousy and spiteful. When a person goes out of his way to do good or great things, he becomes good and great.

I think this principle also applies to groups of people. I think this also applies to countries.

If we are to seek redemption as a country for past and current wrongs we should take these past and current wrongs as the reason for seeking out to do the right thing. We should take these past and current wrongs as the reason for mounting an effort of a scale never before seen in history to bring clean water to the developing world, to seek the elimination of malaria and aids, to be the country that is the first to condemn genocide and the first to intercede on behalf of the downtrodden when genocide is attempted or committed.

I think we should seek to be not self-rightous, but we should strive to be truly heroic.

I would like when people say they are proud to be an American that it is more than a statement of nationalism and blind loyalty. I would like that pride to be derived from a true belief that our country is doing the right thing, doing the hard thing, doing the honorable thing.

I believe that this goal lies at a confluence of idealism and pragmatism, that this is both the right thing and a practical thing.

So I believe the way to make up for our national transgressions, the way to make up for the crime of slavery and genocide, the way to make reparations is to seek redemption by going out of our way to do the right thing.