“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.” ~ The Declaration of Independence
The Fourth of July is the celebration of our nation’s independence and its foundational principle that each human being has the inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The irony of celebrating our nation’s “independence” this Fourth of July when half of our country had their rights to liberty taken away, is not lost on many.
On this day, remember these rights that every human being in this nation has. Recognize that while your wants, needs, and beliefs are important, they’re no more important than anyone else’s. Realize that your circumstances are different than your neighbor’s, friend’s, enemy’s, and even your child’s. Don’t ever be so arrogant as to assume that you know what’s better for someone else’s life than they do; you don’t. And, by the way, nor do they know what’s better for yours.
The reality is that you don’t have to walk in someone else’s shoes, feel their pain, or live their life—they do. Therefore, it is not your place to tell them how they should live their life. Regardless of whether you’re telling your partner how to dress, your child what subject to major in, or a stranger what they need to do with their body—you’re off. Stay on your side of the line and let others stay on theirs. What one person does with their day, life, or body is their choice; what you do with yours, is your choice. And choice is your unalienable right, and your neighbors, and their neighbors, and so on, and so on, and so on,
Challenge: May you remember the importance of each human being’s right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness on this day and all the days that follow.