Happy 244th Birthday America. We remain one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all, and that must remain the ideal we strive to achieve. The founders had faults, I have faults, you have faults. "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God" That needs to be the premise we follow.
Extract from letter from Thomas Jefferson to John Adams
Monticello September 12, 1821 ...and even should the cloud of barbarism and despotism again obscure the science and liberties of Europe, this country remains to preserve and restore light and liberty to them. in short, the flames kindled on the 4th of July 1776. have spread over too much of the globe to be extinguished by the feeble engines of despotism. on the contrary they will consume these engines, and all who work them.
Our greatest glory as a people is rising after we fall. Millions of lives have been lost in defense of this republic and it's continued survival. Let's not forget the sacrifices of many of our forebearers, the violence & bloodshed left in the wake of the many changes and continued growth of our great country. There has been a constant push, pull struggle to give to all that ideal of all are created equal and we must continue that push for all to receive the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
It seems that in the past couple years there's been a movement afoot in our country to discredit the people who founded our country. It's a form of intertemporal bigotry; the sin of trying to judge those of the 18th century by the standards of the 21st century. It seems at once self-righteous and sanctimonious yet devoid of a faith in God, and the principle that all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God. Judging leaders of the past with the same standards as the present is not feasible or practical because we don't have the lens to view it properly, yet many in our present times have convinced themselves they can do so. Times were different, conventions were different, people were different.
"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope." Romans 15:4
We must learn history, the good and the bad and with that knowledge we must grow and do better. We owe it to our peers, our kids, and future generations.
History shapes us more than we'll ever understand, and the lack of knowledge and understanding of our history seems to be fueling a fire that at times rages out of control. Our understanding and fuller knowledge of the past can help us learn what not to do and sustain a better understanding of one another.
Ignorance breeds misunderstanding and that is more of a national tragedy than many can imagine. So if you don't know the history of these past 244 years, grab some books, do some research, inform yourselves of the lives of those who have gone before us. You'll find good and bad: social injustice, racism, sexism, violence, war, brutality, faults, love, perseverance, bravery, ambition, drive, hard work, self sacrifice, incredible generosity, redemption and hearts that changed lives and history.
For all its warts and problems history is there and we must live with it and learn from it, because it's done and unchangeable and to try and upend that which we cannot change will sow more division and hatred until our republic won't stand. I think we can all agree that's something we don't need or want. The old axiom, "United we stand, divided we fall" rings so true in these times that try men's(and womens') souls.
Remember the days of old;
consider the years of many generations;
ask your father, and he will show you,
your elders, and they will tell you.
We should teach history and learn it in a balanced way with an eye towards understanding the good and evil we will inevitably find. We should revere the knowledge of history, because it's all we have, it helps formulate which direction we go, whether good or bad and it's ours, uncontrollable and unchangeable. We are trapped in our history and it is trapped in us.
But a word of caution, we are only responsible for what we do with this life, not what happened before we were born. We cannot undo what others have done. We can strive to do better and not repeat the same mistakes. A large majority of Americans follow the law and want to be & do good. But even with the best intentions, injustice still happens all the time and there is much work to be done still.
As a nation, a free people, in a land where dreams can come true, we have opportunities before us to be better men and women. But in order to fully achieve our founding ideal, we must listen to others, be fair, respectful, and work from a heart of understanding and try to place ourselves in the shoes of the other person who has a different opinion or life circumstances. We must turn from evil to good, all of us, and we must strive every single day to follow a value system based upon Godly principles. It is the only way forward for the good of others and future generations.
For the republic to be strong there must be constant vigilance. Here's to a Happy 4th of July. I love America, to me it is still the last best hope and we must keep it that way.
Dallas Reese
July 4, 2020
"To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice." (Proverbs 21:3)
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