Wednesday; July 4


          I hadn’t read the Declaration of Independence in a while, so went back and reread it.  While I was intrigued by the reasons for our separation from Great Britain and the declaration of independence at the end, there was another part of it that captivated my interest.  At the beginning of the document, this statement is made, "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.".  I don’t know that I had ever really noticed that the Founding Fathers felt compelled to explain to the world why they were doing what they were doing.  Being men of principles, they believed they had an obligation defend the rationale behind their behavior.
          As I thought about this, I got to wondering if this same spirit exists today.  Do we feel an obligation to explain to each other why we choose to do what we do?  Do our values and principles compel us to want to honestly and openly justify what we do?  It is easy to make changes in secret – under the concealment of darkness.  It is simple to tell people that it is none of their business why we do what we do.  Yet, what would happen if we explained our actions.  Would it make us more accountable?  If we felt a personal sense of honor to justify our choices, would it make us more purposed in our journey?  There is another side to this, if we are willing to methodically explain our actions and our beliefs I believe that there would be less petty fussing and fighting.  I also assume that with our well-reasoned explanation there were be less uninformed judgement in our world today.
          Enjoy the festivities of the day, but let’s not forget to give a little thought to what it all means – not just on freedom, but on principled-living as well. 
Think About It!

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