If you were to ask a person today in the context of Independence Day’s thought-provoking questions, such as, what are the self-evident truths? Why are they true and require no proof or explanation? How do we know that they are self-evident? Are we still holding up the self-evident truths?
What would be the response? Does the person we ask the question do not understand us? Or does he or she understand but is trying to distract us because he or she does not have an answer? Or would they probably scoff at the thought!
I think answers can be affected by many factors, and the response order effect is to comprehend the question to find the relevant information in memory to generate an answer.
We know some peoples’ responsiveness is to prefer values that take place in the center, and also the level of interest depends on the quality of answers given is effective.
Moreover, we also know that some of us answer the question with a question, and some of us directly respond to the question with the same question because we do not have an answer.
In my opinion, our responsiveness to these questions should be value-based, and I think it should take the center place in every citizen of the United States of America (USA) since our country is divided due to unrecognized self-evident truths.
Yes, one has to think and evaluate the purpose and meaning of the “Self-evident truths,” which the Declaration of Independence document states. I think and believe that if we recognize and hold on to self-evident truths, the country will be once again in perfect Union.
I think one of the main reasons that our country is divided is due to the unrecognized self-evident truth that “our Creator created all men equal!” As a result, we witness inequality such as racism and prejudice in our communities, political parties, churches, schools, workplaces, families and so-called friends circle.
In the 21st century, in my opinion, the critical issues this country is faced with are the unrecognized self-evident truths held by the Founding Fathers of this Nation. And I think this is one of the reasons why today the country is disunited!
Moreover, some people even do not hold the truth about the existence of the Creator, whom our Nations’ Founding Fathers and Mothers believed and worshiped Him.
I don’t think if a person does not hold the self-evident truth of the existence of Creator, then he or she can’t recognize His endowed unalienable Rights, such as the “Blessings of Life,” “Blessings of Liberty,” and Blessings of Happiness,” respectively.
As we know that “Freedom is not free!” 245 years ago, our Nation’s Founding Father and Mothers shed their blood and built and held this country with these self-evident truths 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.”
Now it is left to us the beneficiaries of our Founding Fathers and Mothers of this new Nation to secure the Blessings of Life, Liberty, and Happiness to ourselves and all future generations.
How can we secure these Blessings without holding up the self-evident truths of the existence of Creator and His unalienable Rights? We hold these truths to be self-evident, because without Creator there is no Life, and without Life, there is no Liberty and pursuit of Happiness.
What happens when someone tries to take away innocent Life? Where can we find Liberty and Happiness without a Life? Who is the giver of Life?
If we were to use a triangular metaphor, rather than a geometric model to understand the “triangular theory of self-evident truths” with three components, Life, Liberty and Happiness together can be viewed as forming the vertices of a triangle from the center of the source “Creator,” if you will.
As we can see that without the “Source,” there is no Life, Liberty, and pursuit of Happiness. It is a known fact that our Founding Fathers and Mothers knew that without this Source no one would survive! Therefore, they affirmed their faith first by declaring in the Independence document stating “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 those are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
In 2021, Independence Day fell on Sunday, a Holy worship day for the believers of God of the Bible, “Creator” whom the Founding Fathers and Mothers of this Nation believed and worshiped. Today, Sunday, July 4, 2021, a special day for this Nations’ privileged citizens to come together and recognize self-evident truths of the Creator, and worship Him wholeheartedly and celebrate Independence Day, because “His truth is marching on.” No doubt wisdom is found in truth, and it truly shines in the dark.
In my opinion, unrecognized self-evident truths became the root cause of rebellious nature, which is tearing our families and country apart. What is the remedy for this root cause? I don’t think any political party or leader can immediately remediate this cause without recognizing the “self-evident truths” of what our Nation’s Founding Fathers and Mothers believed.
I think, if we recognize the “Truth,” the rebellious nature can be remediated by the “Creator,” a giver of Life, Liberty, and Happiness. God of the Holy Bible, whom our Founding Fathers and Mothers believed and worshiped, says to the rebellious Nation:
“Hear me, you heavens! Listen, earth! For the LORD has spoken: I reared children and brought them up, but they have rebelled against me. Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the LORD; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their back on him (Isaiah 1:2-4 NIV).”
Yes, if we recognize the “Truth: that our first “Life and Freedom” was given in God’s Garden, but due to the Temptation, we lost that freedom (Genesis 1-3 NKJV).
Yes, if we recognize the “Truth” that merciful God of our Fathers gave us the second and final chance of securing the “Freedom” through His only Son Jesus Christ. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For in Christ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Gal. 5: 1-6 NIV).”
Yes, if we recognize and hold the self-evident truths that “all men are created equal by their Creator, and endowed with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” I believe that country can be united.
Because we know that as Katharine Lee Bates in her “America the Beautiful” poem stated that:
“America! America! God shed His grace on thee, And crown thy good with brotherhood, From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet, Whose stern, impassioned stress, A thoroughfare for freedom beat Across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine every flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!
Happy 4th
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