“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.”
Signed almost exactly 250 years ago, did Thomas Jefferson intend these words as a statement bound to a particular moment in history, or a moral and spiritual foundation for each of us to live by?
Life: Life doesn’t mean to simply exist. It means to have something to live for and to live by. My family and I started a tradition some time ago that, at the dinner table, we would each share one or more things about our day that were memorable and or inspired us. This became a transformative process for me, for it inspired me to look for moments in my day that impressed me and that I would have otherwise overlooked. Even little things, such as how the sunlight hit the water during my morning run or the enduring laughter of a child on the street, would all get marked in my mental log as something I could share. There is magic all around us; we just have to look. We then begin to live in the moment, and not for the moment.
Liberty: Liberty is usually seen as freedom from something; from injustice, tyranny, or coercion, which are all important. Liberty also means to live for something. To BE the change we wish to see in the world.
You might ask, "Who am I to make a difference?" Even small acts of kindness create a ripple effect. It is thinking of others before yourself, of being a conscious channel of light in a world so much in need of it. It starts with the world around you. Even something as simple as a smile can change another’s entire day for the better. How powerful is that?
The Pursuit of Happiness: The pursuit of happiness, in its deepest sense, means to choose happiness. When you look into the eyes of small children, you’ll see a purity of innocence and joy, a state that is natural to their being. As we grow older, many of us experience moments when happiness feels like the last word in the English language that could describe our inner reality. Sometimes, freedom takes courage and inner work. But isn’t joy, which is our natural state of being, worth the effort?
Written by Jaidhara Sleighter
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