Chris Cox: Washington's and Jefferson's legacy

A very peculiar situation has happen during this government shutdown. A man named Chris Cox has taken upon himself to try and do the gardening work for some of our regarded monuments in Washington D.C. I know what some of you all are thinking, this man is probably CRAZY or is just an “attention whore”. And to be honest, I thought the same exact thing until I heard this man leave a statement with the media. Cox said, "These are our memorials. Do they think that we’re just going to let them go to hell… If they shut down our memorials, we’re still going to take the trash out, we’re going to clean the windows, we’re going to cut the grass, we’re going to pull the weeds, we’re going to do the tree work.” And this comment summed it up completely, Jefferson and Washington (wherever they are) should be blissful because this is their legacy of the gardens being put into action. In this course, we talked extensively about Washington and Jefferson loves for the gardens and how through the gardens (and monuments) one will see the true beauty of this country. Now look currently at the situation that’s taking place: you have a country that’s in turmoil over a heated battle that’s being fought on political lines (which Washington warned us about if I may add) to the point where there is a government SHUTDOWN. That right there is enough to make Washington and Jefferson roll over in their graves. Because even they know in their times that although it was mainly the European Countries then, THE WORLD IS WATCHING and they are unimpressed with the great America that we have touted ourselves to be over the years. But what is shocking is (and probably to Washington and Jefferson) that we are to the point where we will let our Monuments and its surrounding area go unkept and let it lose it luster for an undetermined period of time. Sure Chris only cut a couple square feet of grass, trim only a couple of bushes, and pull a few weeds; but his actions has more meaning than that. Chris demonstrated that even if this country is in a gridlock with no end in sight, does not mean we should let the maintenance of our country take a back seat. Chris shows us that it should still be a top priority and even in turmoil situation like the one currently, this could be the common ground that both sides can agree on.

            In conclusion, Washington and Jefferson love and passion for the gardens can be seen inside this self-proclaimed “keeper of the grounds.” Through Cox’s actions, we have witness a valuable lesson that we should take to the heart and remember the next time this country is in a situation like this. I am not sure if Chris taken a class like this before, but I can clearly see in his actions that he understand the legacy that Washington and Jefferson tried to leave to future generations through their love of nature. So the next time Professor Granger ask if we know a famous gardener, I will politely raise my hand and ask “does Chris Cox count” and wait for the facial expression he gives me.