“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.” Declaration of Independence

On July 4^th each year Americans all over the globe celebrate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence that contains arguably the most famous sentence in the English language. Each year we gather our family and friends to celebrate the creation of this Nation – truly a “national” day. A day of celebration marked with friendly banter, tons of food, fire works, laughter and gratitude.

Approximately seventy-six (76) years later (July 5, 1852) Frederick Douglas gave a speech in Rochester, New York entitled “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro.” In this speech he stated:

“Trust no future, however pleasant,

Let the dead past bury its dead;

Act, act in the living present,

Heart within, and God overhead.”

And later in the same speech, Douglas states:

“The evil, that men do, lives after them,

The good is oft interred with their bodies."

In reflection my question is what does the 4^th of July symbolize for you personally in your life? If you read the quotes above they suggest a reverence for the symbol that this day represents; however, its personal significance varies dramatically. If you strictly construe the text of the Declaration of Independence above in the context of when it was written, you have to wonder if the signers (written primarily by Thomas Jefferson) truly believed the words written – “truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” How do you reconcile this statement with the notion of slavery; and if that is not enough where is the acknowledgement of women?

I reconcile this statement by the suggestion that it is Jefferson’s vision or dream of what could be possible to create in a free nation separate from the British rule. Fast forward the movie and for me July 4^th symbolizes a day that we celebrate with our family and friends in gratitude of a dream embodied in the concept of freedom or liberty. It is our liberty that enables us to choose how we live our life in the pursuit of happiness. How and what we make of our life, and what it means to be happy are personal choices that as free individuals we define. That is the gift that our fore fathers and all who passed before us have given, and that is the set of principles we celebrate every 4^th of July. A gift that deserves to be celebrated, cherished and never taken for granted … for this freedom has come at a severe cost to those who have lived before us.

Writing to his wife, John Adams said “I am apt to believe that it (July 4^th) will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.” And so it has, and so it shall be ….

I hope that everyone reading this truly celebrated your 4^th while pausing to give thanks and appreciate the simple things in your life at this moment. For Douglas had it right – what is in the past remains in the past; act in the present from a Godlike heart present to the dream that is your vision. God Bless!