Independence Day: A Day To Be Engaged in Our Democracy
July 3, 2008
Dear Friends,
This 4th of July, we celebrate the ongoing miracle that is America, secure in the knowledge that a society's citizens are best equipped to determine its future. Our American story is rooted in faith and in hope. We had faith that individual freedoms were worth fighting for, protecting, and advancing. And we had hope that through our collective efforts, this grand experiment in democratic government would prove successful.
Throughout the course of American history, our most prominent leaders have recognized that we have been created as social beings. They also recognized that individuals deserve the opportunity for advancement. That is why the Founders described "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" as inalienable rights.
America's Founding Fathers described our system as an "experiment." Whether our citizenry would grow with the demands of an ever-changing world and remain informed, engaged, and active in shaping our course would remain to be seen.
History has proven that citizens would indeed remain engaged, and would in fact demand that our leaders promote change consistent with the advancement of individual freedoms. Our struggle has been a story of fits and starts, of good and of bad, but that struggle itself has been a story of victory. It is the story of women standing up for rights they knew they would not realize in their lifetimes, of workers demanding safe working conditions and fair compensation, of blacks and other minorities enduring seemingly endless discrimination while striving to obtain the rights to which they are entitled under the law.
Our recognition of individual freedoms has allowed the greatest of minds emerge from the most unexpected areas of society, to produce revolutionary technological advancements. From interchangeable parts to the Internet, a nation based upon freedom, and the faith that we can do great things, has changed the course of humankind.
Still, this experiment is nowhere near complete. Apathy, cynicism, and a sense of entitlement are some of the greatest risks our democratic experiment faces today. American democracy is the envy of the world, but many of us, lucky enough to have been born in this country, take it for granted. While we surely have rights, with rights come responsibilities, and one of our greatest responsibilities is to remain engaged.
Our democracy is a living, breathing entity, and like all living things, it needs to be nurtured. By remaining engaged, we nurture it. By honoring those who serve our national defense, we nurture it. By commending those who serve in elected office, those who police our streets, and those who protect our health, we nurture it. By standing up for the defenseless among us, we nurture our democracy. These are the actions of engaged citizens.
On this holiday we remember one of our cornerstone phrases, E Pluribus Unum: "out of many, one." Let's remember to remain engaged, and by so doing, to nurture our great American experiment.
May God bless you and your family, and may God continue to bless America.
Best Regards,
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