cur-mud-geon:
anyone who hates hypocrisy and pretense and has the temerity to say so; anyone with the habit of pointing out unpleasant facts in an engaging and humorous manner
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness……That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the Consent of the Governed……
The Declaration of Independence sets forth the very reasons our forefathers sought to create this beautiful country of which we’re all a part. The list of complaints against the King of Great Britain continues until finally fifty-five very brave souls affixed their names at the bottom.
It is good that we pause to reflect on this solemn occasion, but it is also unfortunate that few of us give any real thought to what it is we celebrate on July 4th.
We are equal one with another. Nothing says that some are more equal than others. This, to me, is a two-edged sword. I should not have greater rights than any others, nor should any others have greater rights than me. Our Supreme Courts, state and national, seem to lose sight of this from time to time in their over-zealous pursuit of what they determine to be equality.
We have the right to live our lives. We are free to live our lives as we choose. Those who would limit those choices need to remember this. Similarly, others have that same right. We must be cognizant of that and far more accepting of others than we tend to be on occasion.
We have the right to pursue happiness. There are no guarantees of happiness for any of us to be found in this great document, simply the fact that we can pursue our definition of happiness. We would be wise, indeed, to understand that happiness is not at all related to possessions, but is something that comes with inner peace.
Governments are created by us, and derive their powers from us. It seems all too often that our elected government officials lose sight of the fact that they are beholden to do our will rather than us being beholden to do their will. Our regular participation in all elections… our INFORMED participation in all elections…is the demonstration of our “check and balance” system. We abrogate our rights to demand accountability from our elected officials when we fail to exercise our rights.
Indeed, these are powerful words for every day of the year…not just July 4th!
