CabinWindow: Beacon Celebrating our promise
As we celebrate today, Independence Day, let us revisit those famous and enduring words of our nation's founders:
"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. 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."
Yes, those folks knew how to turn a phrase.
They knew how to build a government, too, one that would stand the test of time.
We have more than our share of troubles in these United States, and we sometimes fall short of our ideals. But on this day, our reflection reminds us that we have indeed been a beacon of freedom and hope for more than two centuries.
We stamped out disease.
We stood against tyranny.
We built an industrial giant.
We created pet rocks. OK, so maybe some of our works have been of more significance than others.
What will we do in these next two centuries?
There remains much to be done.
We must continue to strive for true equality in our workplaces, in our schools, in our communities.
We must erase discrimination in all its forms.
We must provide for the least among us, those who cannot help themselves.
We must protect our world, the environment in which we live and over which we are stewards.
We must continue our march toward eradicating afflictions that kill and wring life from the living.
We must work for peace throughout the four corners of the world.
We must pursue justice for all.
On and on and on.
No, we are far from the perfect union our ancestors tried to build. Our generation can add to our nation's legacy, and our children can add their own in time. Much remains undone, yet we have many reasons to be proud of what we have been and will be.
As other nations have risen and fallen, we have remained steadfast, a global leader, powerful and benevolent. Our nation's birthday reminds us that, indeed, we have a proud history and the promise of a bright future.