Happy Independence Day America!
Today, we celebrate the withdrawal of a set of people from a government that didn’t respect their beliefs. We celebrate the idea that a monarch doesn’t rule people by a dictate from a heavenly force and the truth that the rights of mankind supersede the rights of a ruler. We celebrate that all people should be allowed life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as well as other unalienable rights.
America was founded by imperfect men that were not saints. They were people that were a victim of their times, their economic circumstances, and the political morals of their day. They should be judged for the great things that they did to improve the status of their lives, and by their example, the lives of all humans over the course of centuries, rather than by the standards of Monday morning armchair quarterbacks of a different era. These great but imperfect men offered their lives, their freedom, and their treasure to try to achieve a better life for themselves, their families, and their fellow man. These freedoms did not come to all equally nor at the same time. This process was not perfect, and no one should claim otherwise. The struggle to expand that freedom has continued for much longer and claim even more victims. In fact, the struggle will never end as long as mankind rules this planet for it is a truth that no one is perfectly good and some are eviler than they are good.
It is by remembering these men and standing at attention at the display or our country’s colors that we affirm that we are here to continue the struggle against hate and tyranny. We do not stand to honor what was achieved, but rather we stand to say that we are here to offer ourselves in the continuous fight and struggle to achieve a world where all mankind is able to pursue life, liberty, and happiness.
I do not think that I have ever met a person that at the end of his days did not wish to have achieved more. But that should never discount the things actually accomplished.
It is today that we celebrate the beginning of that struggle. It is not that the struggle is over. It is not that others will no longer do us harm. It is the day that says that all of mankind is created equal and all have the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness.
For this reason, we raise the flag to remember that the struggle began and the ideas behind that struggle made a major step forward on this day many years ago. It is not that the struggle was over on this day centuries ago but that the struggle happened. Our standing and honoring of the flag and the idea that is this nation, the United States of America, is to honor the sacrifice that other imperfect men and women have made in this journey and that we also will continue to abide by the ideals of the freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. By standing and flying these colors, we say that we are courageous enough to stand for these principles. We do not stand and fly the colors of our country because we say that everything is perfect, but instead, we do so because the principles are correct and we are here to offer ourselves in the constant struggle against tyranny and oppression.
If you drive by my house, you will also see these colors on display as I believe that all mankind has the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness and that oppression is wrong and tyranny must be repelled. When the colors are displayed, I will not kneel or sit which has always been a sign of cowardice or submission, but instead, I will stand with my head held high and be counted that I believe in freedom of all mankind and that no one should be subservient to the greeds of another.
These are my thoughts and beliefs and I understand that they may not be yours. This post was not written by another and copied. I, Sean O’Shaughnessey, stand here now before the colors of my nation affirming that I believe that all mankind should be free to pursue life, liberty, and happiness.