Free to Be You and Me

Posted on | July 2, 2010 | 1 Comment

We hold these truths to be self-evident…

When Thomas Jefferson first wrote those words, some 234 years ago, he believed, as I do, that there are some things we just know. We really can’t explain them or offer any kind of proof or evidence. But we know them just the same – we understand, beyond all reason, that some things simply are true.

Some people call this a sixth sense, others call it faith. I personally like to think there’s something spiritual, but whatever we call it, we – like Jefferson – just know. Of course, these days, the truth in reference can sometimes differ from person to person, but regardless of what we hold as truth, we all have that feeling of something being beyond doubt.

…That all men are created equal…

Because I know, beyond a doubt, that while we are all certainly created equally, we are not all treated equally. As much as we want Jefferson’s words to ring true, they simply can’t – not while there are still men, women and children in this world who are treated as “less than,” whether due to racism, sexism, homophobia, wealth disparity, hunger, abuse, religious intolerance or so many other things.

There are those of us who have so much and there are those of us who have so little and the gulf between the two grows larger every day. How can we possibly be equals when the playing field is so grossly uneven? We all deserve to live with dignity but we don’t all get that chance.

…That they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

We should all have the opportunity to live freely and happily as we so choose, but the harsh truth is that we don’t. All over the world, people live in the most extreme poverty or are condemned solely based on their gender or religious affiliation. Lives are lived in terror as violence becomes the norm instead of the exception.

Even in our own country, the pillar of democracy throughout the world, we still deny members of our own citizenry the chance to live and love as they want. Our rich get richer, while our poor get poorer and then we stand around trying to find someone to blame, instead of working together to find a solution.

Thomas Jefferson and the other Founding Fathers envisioned a new world where they would be free from the shackles of a dictatorial monarch, free to live their lives as they wanted. They believed they were making the future better for those who would come after them.

I don’t know what Jefferson would think of our world today, but we have indeed come so far from that first gathering in Philadelphia 234 years ago. But for all that we’ve accomplished, we still have much to do.

This 4th of July weekend, enjoy the celebrations with your family and friends. Celebrate the freedoms you’re blessed to have, but don’t forget that there are people out there who are not as blessed as you and until they are, Jefferson’s promise remains a work in progress.

GLAD
UNICEF
Feeding America
Save the Children
Human Rights Watch
Amnesty International
American Civil Liberties Union
National Organization for Women

[Photo Credit: Getty Images]

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