“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.”
One of my favorite quotes from the Declaration of Independence.
I think we can all agree that over the last few years, we have become more of a divided nation. The news that is put forward has seemed to be extreme, righteous and divisive. Our leaders seem to have forgotten who they work for and what their purpose should be.
However, when I meet with folks in this community, either for business or socially, I find that most people seem to be in the middle of the issues, not on the extreme opposites.
I am reminded that when a tragedy occurs in an area, community, state, or nation, my fellow citizens have always dropped the polarizations and run to help. We pull together for the greater good, we sympathize, empathize and all that divided us temporarily falls away. That’s who I feel we really are — not what is presented to us daily through the media.
In my perfect world, I would want to see more of this, and certainly without a tragedy to make us remember. We are all humans trying to do our best in this country: raise our kids, take care of our elders, and pursue happiness in whatever form that may take.
I encourage my fellow citizens to remember this over the long holiday weekend, to ease up on the pursuit of perfection over quality and time with family. To look for just one opportunity to help another, even if it's just a smile or a compliment about their lawn, their hair, how wonderful their kids are or anything.
Search for the compliment, practice giving them out and let’s see if we can change up our little community even if it's just for the weekend, as we celebrate the freedoms and rights that we have been given so very long ago and that which we celebrate this Fourth of July!
