Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
“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.”
I’m late in posting today, but wanted to take a moment to reflect on America’s Independence Day. I’m listening to vast amounts of consumer-grade fireworks being blown up around me. Its quite mad, this roar of explosions near and far. But my morning started in quiet contemplation, reading the Declaration of Independence well before the fuse was lit on the first bottle rocket. In these times, more than any time in my lifetime, I appreciate the boldness and courage captured in the Declaration of Independence. And I’m grateful for the gift of freedom and the reminder of sacrifices made to achieve it.
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. A worthy pursuit, surely worth the price of declaring independence. And tonight, as the citizens of this great country blow up crazy amounts of ordinance in celebration of the anniversary of the signing of the document that shook the world, I celebrate too. Albeit more quietly.
Originally posted 4 July 2020