We'll All Go Together

Most of us dream every night, though we remember very little of it - that is unless the dream is particularly important or disturbing. Ben had such a dream; one that involved his two good friends, Jonathan and Tom. Why this dream is so interesting makes it a Terrific Tale. At one time, all three men - Tom, Jonathan and Ben were good friends. However, in the later middle ages of their storied years, Tom and Jonathan had serious arguments over religion and politics, and they became estranged. This was very troubling to Ben, seeing his two formerly close friends now so distant from one another.

Then one night, came the dream. In it, Ben asked his son about a book he had in his hands. “It is the history of the United States” the son replied, and a page in it was concerning Jonathan and Tom. Ben, in the dream, read the book, and it related how Jonathan and Tom had some huge accomplishments in American History, and how both, after public service, had retired, and gone their separate ways after some bitter disagreements. Jonathan had written a letter to Tom, congratulating him on his recent retirement. What then followed was a series of letters between the men, reviewing the great accomplishments they had made together, regrets of errors of opinion and actions taken, great truths that they discovered throughout their lifetimes, and how they hoped that history would remember fondly of them. All that, in one dream.

The dream ended with a frightful twist: both men would die at nearly the same time.

Disturbed by all this, Ben wrote to Jonathan and related the dream to him; Jonathan replies that he believes that this is very serious business and that none of it is history yet. He goes on to write that he has no resentment towards Tom, but has trouble writing; however, he would not fail to answer a letter from Tom. In other words, Tom had to make the first move. Ben took the initiative, and wrote to Tom, telling him also about the dream, and how Jonathan would be open to receiving a letter from Tom, and would certainly submit a reply. Tom did write to Jonathan in a gracious letter, to which Jonathan replied, as promised. More letters followed; many more. The correspondence followed the same character as that of Ben’s dream, to the delight of all three men.

One could say that what happened, in reality, was a self-fulfilling prophecy; that the participants had the example set before them from Ben’s dream, and were simply following it, perhaps unconsciously. One could make that case.

However, what about the uncontrollable? Do you recall that in Ben’s dream both men died at nearly the same time? Because that did happen as well. Both Tom and Jonathan died within hours of each other. Tom passed on first, fifty minutes into the day ...of July 4th. In the year 1826. 50 years to the day after the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Significant, since Tom - “Thomas” wrote it. And signed it. His friend “Jonathan”, or John, signed it as well.

“Ben” - Benjamin Rush, had a dream in 1812 about two of his closest friends, giants in American history, and was so troubled by it, that it caused him to get together the two once more, and they rekindled their friendship and left us even more wisdom and history. 

We don’t know much about dreams; perhaps they are just a way for the brain to exercise some housecleaning chores on thoughts and wishes...or are they something more? Or, was it just chance that two men died within hours of each other, fifty years to the day, of perhaps their most momentous achievement, the declaring of our independence from the Crown? The answer to that question, you’ll have to decide. Keep in mind that not only were Thomas and John the mind and force of the Declaration of Independence; but they were also presidents - John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.

But our story does not end there. While the odds of this series of events occurring - the dream, the dying on the same day 50 years later of their greatest achievement - is very small, one other factor makes it perhaps incalculable.

Jefferson and Adams weren’t the only two founding fathers to die on that famous day; for James Monroe, our 5th president, died as well on that day, in 1831.