THE LAST SENTENCE'S CENTRALITY TO INDEPENDENCE DAY

As the citizens of The United States of America celebrate what is known as Independence Day, many may focus on the first words of the Declaration of Independence:

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, — That 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.”

It’s a vital truth here from a political perspective, no matter your viewpoint. And, yet, this year, I believe we should look at the last sentence for our biggest challenge from the document which enumerates the political independence we observe:

“And for the 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.”

I wonder what our society would look like if we, like the men who signed the this declaration, pledged “…to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor?”

Yes, we do have individual freedoms that must not and cannot ever be totally rescinded. However, how might our society improve if we were as diligent and dogged in our pursuit of living up to the ideals of the last paragraph as we are the first sentence?

Grace and Peace, Lamar