A Call to Dignity, Integrity and Civility: Rise of the Restless Wave

Today I add my voice to millions of American's honoring the life of a hero and servant-leader, Senator John McCain.

I had the privilege of meeting Senator McCain during a visit to Capital Hill in 2006 while lobbying for the creation of a US Department of Peace. I was immediately struck by the power of his presence and the unique blend of intelligence, intensity and humility that was his hallmark.

Over the years, I have strongly disagreed with McCain's position on critical issues from gun control to environment to war. Despite this, I sustained the sense he was an authentic and principled man. John McCain personified a kind of civility, dignity and character that transcended partisan politics and his passing leaves a void in the truest sense.

Senator McCain strived, within his own convictions, to put country first. And he was one of the few in modern history with enough integrity to reflect upon his own limitations and decisions, have the courage and grace to own them, and sometimes attempt to correct course even if it meant taking on his own party to do so.

Senator McCain, on numerous occasions, crossed the aisle to join hands with his "opponents" on and off the Senate floor. Even as he faced his own impending death from brain cancer, he implored his colleagues -- and all of us -- to remember we are not enemies and to make space for civil discourse and the cultivation of our common ground. McCain recognized, and rightly so, that what unites us is greater than what divides us, and that people are more alike than different at the heart of our hopes and values.

John McCain was a man of conscience, and a guardrail of sorts, standing as a visible albeit insufficient barrier between the bend in the road and careening over the cliff. We will miss him greatly, even moreso if we do not step into the void and continue the fight for equality and justice.

Today our beloved country is in a precarious state of division, corruption and chaos. If Senator McCain, like others we have lost, is no longer here to build bridges between parties and polarities, who is going to build them? If McCain is not here to call for civility and constructive dialogue, who will be bold and persistent enough to beckon us?

Who will be the Restless Wave that lifts our country above this sea of uncertainty and compels us forward toward a more honorable and compassionate future?

The Maverick's last call is clear, my friends:

The Restless Wave must become You and Me.

The Restless Wave: Parting words from John McCain

"Before I leave, I'd like to see our politics begin to return to the purposes and practices that distinguish our history from the history of other nations. I would like to see us recover our sense that we are more alike than different."

"Stop listening to the bombastic loudmouths on the radio and on the internet. To hell with them. We've been spinning our wheels on too many important issues because we keep trying to find a way to win without help from across the aisle. We're getting nothing done, my friends; we're getting nothing done."

"We have to fight. We have to fight against propaganda and crackpot conspiracy theories. We have to fight isolationism, protectionism, and nativism. We have to defeat those who would worsen our divisions. We have to remind our sons and daughters that we became the most powerful nation on Earth by tearing down walls, not building them."

"I hope we can again rely on humility, on our need to cooperate, on our dependence on each other to learn how to trust each other again and by doing so better serve..."

"I hope those who mourn my passing, and even those who don't, will celebrate as I celebrate a happy life lived in imperfect service to a country made of ideals, whose continued success is the hope of the world."

"The world is a fine place and worth fighting for."

Senator John S. McCain

Amen, Dear Senator McCain. Thank you for your unwavering dedication and service.

God bless and Godspeed.

Kimberly King

#RestlessWave.