The Declaration of a Country

This has been a difficult year to be excited about liberty as these United States. It seems there is this constant reminder of why the United States is no longer supreme or the greatest country on earth. We are begets, racists, religious zealots ready to pounce and admonish anyone who thinks differently. Yet, I don't see that in my community. My community is made up Latinos, African Americans, and Eastern Europeans. We live in appreciation of one another respecting one another's differences, but always willing to offer an open hand in time of need. This is America. A make-up of people who want more, freedom, to create a life sustaining fulfillment. For many that means wealth. Many came for religious liberty. Most came for the opportunity to do something better. They just wanted the opportunity to try to be something more. That opportunity is what sets this country apart from other countries.

I try to remember this but then there are these other voices from celebrities to politicians that constantly diminish these goals. Why? Why are they here if America is so bad?

What does the Declaration of Independence mean to us? To me it is the liberty to pursue well being for my family under the faithful covering of God Almighty. It may be an idea that is scoffed at today but it is the threads that hold this tapestry together. "Appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states." 

Sure the Declaration of Independence were signed by a bunch of white men, but they had everything to lose. Signing this parchment was an act of treason against the British king. Most of these men paid dearly for their independence losing loved ones, wealth, and sometimes their own lives. Yet, they were still bold enough to "support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KYKHTyENEw 

The beauty of this declaration is it is a gift that continues to bless this country. Originally, Thomas Jefferson declared to King George III and the world the colonies would no longer tolerate unrepresented inhuman tyranny: that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is and ought to be totally dissolved. Then, nearly a hundred years later Abraham Lincoln was able to proclaim the document's truth once more: "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." These words brought weight that the United States should and must recognize all men as creations of God's hands living a fulfilling life of duty and honor. Not suffering and slavery. Perhaps the words of the Declaration of Independence will be used in future generations to reverse the acts of evil or demolish an ailing government: "whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness."

I want to be angry for all the suffering that people are experiencing much of it as a result of government involvement. I want to feel resentment for all the mentally ill violently destroying lives. I want to hate the government for the power hungry entity it has become slowly eroding the ideals of American freedom.

However, I have to remind myself this is all cultural wars and if I want help I have to be involved in the culture. The signers of the Declaration and the Founding Fathers there were all speaker, writers, influencers of the freedom movement. And when I look at my kids and I talk to my neighbors and do life with my community those are the steps to establishing a better society. These are the qualities that make me proud to be an American.