Those who know me, understand that I normally take a "middle road" approach to most topics. Extremes have a tendency towards being limited to application to one's life. This "update" will not be middle of the road, in fact, much the opposite. This position is meant to make us think about our behaviors and the messages that it conveys.
Enough said!
"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..."
When I was in grade school, the US was going through turbulent times. The Vietnam war, civil rights and the cold war were just a few of the issues at the forefront of life and living at that time. Despite the challenges that we faced, each grade's curriculum included a unit on the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution. By the time I was 8 years old, I had memorized many parts of each, as an assignment (It was not an option).
Included in the memorization exercises was a writing assignment.
We were asked..."What does it mean to you?"
I don't know if all grade schools did this or perhaps I had some really neat teachers, but rather than lecture on these "foundational" documents, we discussed them as a class. These were amazing discussions that I still remember to this day! One in particular has shaped the way I think!
Our principal visited our classroom to talk about the Declaration of Independence. For all we knew he was there when it was written and helped craft its very words! The lesson started with him asking a number of us to recite what we had memorized. Whether we got it exactly right or totally destroyed it, he complimented us on our ability. Then he asked if we knew what that was all about?
After a few answers, (which I think he must have had a difficult time keeping a straight face), he explained what it meant to him. He didn't say, "This is what it really means" or "This is what you must believe" he said, "This is what it means to me!" He left its interpretation up to us as individuals!
"...citizenship with the US, or any country for that matter is not any different from membership in a club." A club has rules and privileges. If you do not abide by those rules, you can get kicked out of the club and you lose the privileges. It's like being in a horse riding club. By being a member you get to ride horses, but in order to ride the horses, you also have to feed and care for the horses. If you do not feed and care for the horses, you don't get to ride the horses.
Our government is built upon the belief that everyone has equal membership. We have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. As long as we abide by the rules (laws) of membership (citizenship), we are free to ride the horses of Life, liberty and happiness.
Break the rules and you give up those rights.
Break those rules and you say to this country that you don't want to be a member of it any more.
Break the rules and you lose your rights as a citizen!
That is what a felony is! It is doing something that says, "I don't want to be a citizen anymore!"
That made us think...
I remember talking about it on the playground!
I remember admonishing (and being admonished by) fellow students that our behavior was denouncing our citizenship (as if we really knew what that meant!).
That simple discussion was life shaping!
I doubt that those discussions happen today!
The "Pledge" has been removed from the morning ritual!
American History has been diluted by outcome based education.
We wonder why the foundation of our society has eroded...and can not see that we have neglected to build a foundation at all!
We have made it difficult for Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, because we thought that these rights were so self-evident that they not longer needed to be taught...
The fact of the matter is...they are self-evident...what they are lacking is a clear definition and an understanding of the recourse for not living up to the "rules" of citizenship (membership is this democratic society).
Where am I going with all of this?
Those who know me...know that I am a "die-hard" observer of human (societal) behavior. We can learn much about individuals and a society by how they act.
This past week while on my "forced leisurely" drive to work (those who live in South Florida know what I mean), I observed driving behavior that told me a lot about what people think about infringing on the unalienable rights of others and the rules of membership (US citizenship)!
About halfway to work (6 miles from home) a lady pulled out from a gas station and drove perpendicularly across the road to get into the left hand lane. She actually only pulled out into the traffic and sat blocking 3 lanes of traffic blocking the pursuit of happiness of a hundred or so other drivers! Her action communicated that she didn't care about the others and was willing to infringe on their rights for her own gratification! If she was on the playground with us kids...we all would have jumped on the opportunity to remind her that she just gave up her citizenship! Perhaps stupid driving like that should be a felony...and the convicted be immediately deported! LMAO
I didn't have to drive much further beyond that declaration of selfishness when I came up behind an elderly driver traveling at a speed 25 miles per hour lower than the rest of the traffic! Not only was this driver blocking the rest of the travelers from arriving at their "Pursuit of Happiness" destination, by she was threatening their lives! WOW a double felony! No doubt that this person felt that they had earned the right to drive slow and infringe on others rights. Perhaps this person was incapable of living up to the rules of citizenship. In either instance, it was wrong. This person if on our playground would have been admonished and isolated...her rights to the swings set taken away along with their social security! LMAO
As I drove further and about the time I thought myself free from this felonious hoard, a driver cut from the far right-hand lane to the far left-hand lane (5 lanes in total). This behavior would be OK if there were no cars in the lanes, but it caused drivers in each lane to slam on their brakes. There was a blue haze from the burning rubber and the driver just drove on as if it was no big deal! This one would have caused a playground frenzy! Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness...of many others infringed upon just so this person could get totally across the traffic! Three felonies! LMAO
What was sad was that there were 3 more incidents similar to those before I arrived at work!
What does this have to do with anything?
I am noticing more and more how consistent behaviors are telling us about the foundational beliefs of individuals and of society! You may argue that what I observed was just poor driving, but I contend that higher level behaviors are guided by foundational beliefs. It follows that much can be told by how people act and behave!
These individuals driving behaviors tell me that these people do not hold others' rights as more important than their own. It is because they allowed their perceived right to some pursuit to infringe on the rights of all of the others in the vicinity of their driving!
If we could only have a legal system that treated people like they earned and communicated!
We would have people who:
- acted intentionally and are in prison...
- acted insanely and are in an asylum...
- acted out of stupidity...(perhaps they could be remediated, perhaps not)...or...
- JUST NEED TO BE DEPORTED EVEN IF THIS IS THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN!
If you can not be help responsible for something as petty as driving responsibly...how can you claim to be a responsible member of this society...and why should we responsible members have to be forced to let you participate on our playground!
We had it right as kids! We self policed...we didn't need playground monitors even though they were there...we were taught responsibility at a young age, it was expected of us and we lived up to it!
Let's take note of the real messages that we are sending to society and show that we are responsible members of this club...the United States of America!
Enough Said AGAIN!
Pura Vida!
