I have a sticky on my computer that says, “You have to choose to choose.”
Today, when we celebrate freedom and the birth of this great nation, my eye wanders to the yellow rectangle saluting from my computer.
Choice.
The Founding Fathers and all the men and women who backed them chose to choose. They chose to disentangle themselves from despotism. They chose to publicly and clearly denounce the ills of an authority that ruled over more people than just them. And they chose to pledge allegiance to each other in support of their Declaration of Independence.
They understood that all men could choose to choose because of “…the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them.” They didn’t come to this lightly. They had “…petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.” In other words, they sought a peaceful and sound resolution but found none.
The Declaration was not the end. It was the beginning.
There are far too many injustices in the world today. Look at Iran. Look at the house arrest of Ang San Suu Kyi. Look at North Korea. Look at the various leftist countries of South America. I could go on.
“…Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”
Many of the people in these situations have chosen to choose, and sometimes that is not enough. Senseless killings by people in power who are the opposite of brave, so insecure that the curtain will come down and reveal their true intentions. Oppression that treats people like cattle and has no greater vision than a pile of riches. Genocide in various forms to avenge histories that no longer are marked in memory.
I think how lucky we are, here in America. The freedom we have as citizens allows us to choose liberty in our lives. We have pledged allegiance to this great republic, and we are grateful and fortunate to have a strong and dedicated force of men and women who serve in our military, fighting to protect us and our nation, and defending democracy around the globe.
Choosing is active. It requires careful consideration. Each day brings decisions big and small, of great import or of seemingly no value. But each day we are called to select. True independence is not just understanding that you can choose to choose, it is making those choices.
Hancock and company made their declaration with “… a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence.” They stated that, “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.”
You can never enjoy independence unless you choose to choose.
Note: A very special thank you to our service men and women around the world. May God keep you safe and bring you home soon.
