We hold these truths to be self-evident
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 Oxford Dictionary provides contextual appropriate definitions.
Endowed: provide with a quality, ability, or asset
Life: the existence of an individual human being
Liberty: the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s behaviour or political views
Pursuit: the action of pursuing something; pursue: engage in (an activity or course of action):
Happiness: the state of feeling or showing pleasure or contentment
I posted the following question on SHRM’s HRTalk bulletin board, “Are you happy?” as the title of the posting and with the well-known sentence from America’s Declaration of Independence as the message content/context. Sixteen responses were affirmative. None were negative. Several contrasted the theme with divergent views.
The most telling diversion was an idea that we are ‘promised’ happiness. The word is not used, or implied, in the Declaration of Independence. There is no promise made or implied in the Declaration of Independence. The true operating word is endowed. We are endowed by our Creator.
Endowed is intrinsic, that which lies within us, our own self-reliance. A promise is extrinsic, that which someone else will give us, a dependency upon others. And there lies the heart, core and bottom of America’s political chasm, perhaps even human nature itself. Liberals want to create & sustain cultures of dependencies which, in a sublime sense, enable denial of responsibility. Conservatives want to create a self-sustaining culture of self-reliance through opportunities & responsibilities.
My personal political philosophy is in between, on the libertarian edge of the middle. Dependencies need to be transitory, paved with the opportunities and incentives towards self-reliance. This is true liberty.
There is logical flow through the three unalienable rights. First is life, our existence. Next is liberty, the freedom from imposed, accepted and enabled oppression. Dependencies are oppressions. Only then can we achieve the independence of self-reliance to pursue happiness.
But how do you know if & when you are happy? What role does the government created by men play to protect, preserve, defend & extend your right to pursue happiness?
Through my twitter account, I read the following article, ‘The Pursuit of Happiness’: How Do Communities Make Us Happy? from the Atlantic. The following is presented as the modern era quest to answer this very question.
The government of the Himalayan country of Bhutan seems to think so. In particular, Bhutan surveys its citizens in nine key aspects of happiness:
• Psychological well-being
• Physical health
• Time or work-life balance
• Social vitality and connection
• Education
• Arts and culture
• Environment and nature
• Good government
• Material well-being
The use of a “gross national happiness” index has been a policy of Bhutan now for nearly four decades.
The quest is also being replicated in places like Victoria, British Columbia and Seattle. Gallup has polled and reported on similar intent.
So, as you enjoy this Independence Day, I leave you with this one question, “Are You Happy?”
