One Moment, Please… Wanting a Better Life

As I look at the content of this week’s newspaper, I recognize that we all play a significant role in what makes America unique compared to many other countries.

Our ancestors came to this country because they were leaving a situation in which they felt oppressed. It would have been easier to stay in their comfort zone; stay where their family had established roots, even if they weren’t happy.

Instead they chose to leave everything behind to seek a better life.  How did they know their life would be better?  Apparently, they felt they had nothing to lose.

And, when the founders of this great country put their heads together, they seemingly made a checklist of every reason they left their native land. They wanted to make sure that they created a better life for future generations.

It’s really quite amazing how everything came together.  From the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 to the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787.

We had the right people in the right place at the right time.

Starting with the First Amendment, they wanted to make sure our government didn’t have overreach to oppress the American people. Our founding fathers put the power in the hands of the people; not the government.

We have the Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, Freedom to Assemble, and Freedom to Petition.  We have freedoms that simply do not exist in other countries.  As I chat with friends from other couwntries, I often feel that we don’t know how good we have it.  We tend to take it for granted.

We have checks and balances with three branches of government: Legislative, Executive and Judicial.

And, over the past 250 years, The Constitution has been tested.  Our branches of government have been tested.  We The People have been tested.

We have battled wars from within our own borders and overseas.  And, along the way, these events have shaped us as a nation; as a people.

What’s interesting is how the youngest nation in the world, the United States of America, has influenced the rest of the world in ways I’m guessing our founding fathers could have never imagined.

As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, we are making history.  While we live in the here and the now, our successors will look back on our words and actions after we are long gone, no different than how we’ve studied history to date.  Hopefully, we’ll pave a good path.

The American Dream has always been about wanting a better life.  But, not just for the current generation. More importantly, for future generations.  Current generations have always been willing to struggle for the sake of a better life for their children, grandchildren and many greats to follow.

This Independence Day and always, we should feel grateful that we live in the Land of Opportunity.