The 4th of July is more than a celebration of flags and fireworks. It is a day that defines us as Americans. Likewise, the Declaration of Independence was more than simply a severance document or a list of grievances against the mother country. It was a declaration of the ideals upon which a new nation would be formed.
“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 United States is an anomaly in history. It is a nation that allows a government to operate only through the consent of the people it governs – rather than the other way around. It is a country of people who believe that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are not simply ideals; they are God-given rights that no one – and no government – can deny. Those words became the blueprint of who we are today.
“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.”
The men and women who wear the cloth of the nation ensure that our ideals and our liberty are preserved. It is on their backs that our way of life continues to be the envy of the world.
But America is more than just the military. It is a collaborative effort by all of its citizens to make life better. To work together for the common good. We are sometimes brash, sometimes loud. Our form of government can be messy. But there is no place I would rather be than here.
In America, the beautiful.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtH_TRajS4I[/youtube]
