Independence. Life. Liberty. The pursuit of happiness. The self-evident truth that all men are created as equals...
These, and many others, are the intentions upon which our organically evolving Nation was founded.
All of them, it seems, have been examined with a long overdue depth this past year. Leaving so many of us with questions.
What does it mean to be independent and free in the era of collective pandemics and social lockdowns? How, then, can we pursue happiness when the pursuit of nearly everything within six-foot feels intangible?
The right to life? All men created equal? Simply listen to the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, and so many other Black lives taken without regard to those inalienable truths.
Apparently, some rights, it seems, are not as evident as others.
Covid-19 certainly doesn't respect the right to life.
So what, then, do we do in the face of failure? A Nation's ideals struggle to manifest for everyone, in the same way, at the same time.
Well, we would imagine the same thing we do in the face of any of us failing to live up to our ideals—we acknowledge the gap and get to work.
Holidays don't always have to be celebrations. They can often be reminders. Reminders of our collective capacity in the face of our current collapse. Today, may we personally and communally step up our role in helping this Nation be what it has always intended to be.
One Nation.