the 4th

Today we remember our country’s most significant Declaration…

… We hold these truths to be self-evident…

There’s no need to explain; it’s obvious.

… that all men are created equal…

Men, women, humankind — equal in value. There should be no discrimination, partiality, or bias. Let’s be honest; we haven’t always done this well. But we don’t need to erase, cancel, or attempt to rewrite history. We need to learn from it. What will future generations say about us? What errors in our current thinking will they find need to correct? 

… that they are endowed by their Creator…

We acknowledge the great big God of the universe — who He is and who we are not. Some days I wonder if that’s our most grievous, national error… that in our intentional effort to separate Church and State — not wanting the Church to impose its moral code upon all — we’ve enabled the State to believe it’s capable of establishing a moral code.

… with certain unalienable rights…

Indeed. They can’t be taken away. 

… that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness… 

Our existence. Our freedom. And our pursuit of what makes us happy. It’s important to distinguish between the “pursuit of happiness” and “happiness” itself. There are no guarantees we will be happy. In fact, it humbles me to profess that some of my greatest learnings in life have come from the saddest of times. Troubles and trials help us learn perseverance. Perseverance is a mark of the mature.

… That, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…

Exactly. The people have a say. No politician needs to be puffed up — to think they are so necessary. No party, either — as last I checked the news, no political party has yet to corner the market on honesty, integrity, and compromise.

On the 4th of July, we celebrate many things — especially now that the days of COVID have at least temporarily waned…

That celebration makes me feel a little patriotic. True, that’s an emotionally charged term these days. People use it for everything from a more nationalist stance to a stance on a podium protesting our anthem.

For me it means being a little more grateful… for truth, equality, our Creator, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and all the people around me I get to freely do life with and pursue that happiness. 

I support our country not because it’s always been perfect or ever will be; we will always have things to learn. I support our country also not because we’re so good at empathizing and always getting along.

No, I support our country because 245 years ago, we declared what is good.

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.

Happy Independence Day, friends… hope it’s happy.

Respectfully…

AR