Celebrating Our Nation’s Birth

Since late October, we have been writing each week to recommend that you contact your legislators and other officials regarding a variety of concerns.  As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding, and as we think ahead to the midterm elections, which are only four months away, we find ourselves with two questions.

1.What can each of us do this week to better appreciate the meaning of this holiday?

2. Presuming we do enjoy free and fair elections this November, and presuming the majority of our fellow citizens vote in such a way as to allow "We the People" to continue voicing our concerns and attempting to influence national discourse and policy, what should be our posture, and how should we live out our responsibility as patriotic citizens?

We suggest beginning by taking a few moments this week to read and reflect upon the Declaration of Independence.

It's not a long document.  Think about the idea of "self-evident" truths.  Consider the world around us, and whether it's reasonable to accept the idea of "all men are created equal" as a given.  Think about our good fortune to have "inalienable" (i.e. can't be taken away) rights when many people in this world are not similarly favored.  Remember that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed - we have both a right and a responsibility to speak to our leaders.  The signers provided a litany of grievances against the English king.  Are those complaints ancient history or are they at all relevant to the current moment?  When they declared their / our independence, they pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor.  It was not a small promise, and it was not made lightly! 

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

And when they had finished fighting a war, many of those same men, as well as others, wrote a Constitution. They did this to "form a more perfect union, establish justice… and to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity."  Their intention was to pass these blessings on to us! 

https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/preamble/

https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/

So now what?  When we've been blessed with this heritage, how should we respond?  Specifically, at a time when corruption and self-dealing infect the highest levels of our government, when armed agents of the federal government patrol our streets, when disinformation reigns and polarization causes such a high degree of distrust and estrangement between citizens - and when at the same time, we individually may be perfectly comfortable - what is our responsibility? 

We won't offer a pat answer - we're all different, with various gifts and unique experiences. But it does seem like the right time for each of us to dedicate ourselves anew to the ongoing project of citizenship. Draft a letter to your congressman, or to the editor of your newspaper.  Come to a rally and bring some friends.  Run for office.  Attend a city council or school board meeting.  Volunteer at a shelter or soup kitchen.   If you're discouraged or fatigued, it helps to surround yourself with others who also care about what's going on.  We'll continue to offer suggestions each week that you may find useful.  Please stay engaged in some way - your voice is important, and the work of citizenship will not end with the next election.  

We think about our children and grandchildren often.  And a third question arises: Will we follow the founders’ lead, and “secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity?"  

*Don’t forget to join us Sunday, July 18, from 4-7 PM at Morningstar First Baptist Church in Hickory for our celebration, “Good Trouble Lives On.” https://www.indivisibleccv.org/calendar/good-trouble-lives-on

ICCV Legislative Committee

“With Liberty and Justice for All”