Of the People
Of the People
By Monica Benderman
“I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging the future but by the past….. They tell us…that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs… hugging the delusive phantom of hope? ….we are not weak, if we make a proper use of the means which the God of nature hath placed in our power.”
(Patrick Henry, March 1775.)
Experience shows that the United States and its citizens, including many who call themselves pacifists, have a history of using war and aggressive tactics to solve problems, to defeat challenges, to resist threats from those with different perspectives, and to confront men whose wisdom deepens the fear of those whose ignorance is in danger of being discovered.
Experience shows that war is not the answer, and in consideration of the costs of aggressive tactics, neither do they achieve lasting positive results.
“I know of no way of judging the future but by the past.”
The two hundred year history of this country is one of failed attempts to force people of differing views, customs and traditions to reach a common perspective and live together as if all are one. It is true we are all of one humanity, but rather than focus on our commonality, would it not be better to work toward acceptance of our differences within the framework of that commonality, knowing we each have a right to live as we choose, as long as we remember to respect that right for others?
The two hundred year history of this country is one of protests, rebellions, armed conflicts; all demands and incursions into the privacy of others in attempts to coerce the mindset of a majority of people whose rights are given to freedom, but whose freedom is limited by the very interpretation of the words of the Constitution for which protesters, and advocates for war claim to be arguing in defense.
There is no way of “judging the future but by the past.” It is time to look to the past with a clear vision.
“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. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it….”
(Declaration of Independence, July, 1776)
Since pilgrim leaders first penned the Mayflower Compact in 1620, immigrants to this land have tried to commit to written word their interpretation of Laws of Humanity which should be inherent in the conscience of all men and women, intending for the written word to have power over the actions of those who refuse to allow their conscience to lead them in a true respect for the rights of all who have been given life equally in this world.
The laws of man formulated into constitutions since the beginning of foreign colonization of this land have failed to hold men and women accountable to the Laws of Humanity and judging our future by our past, our descendants are in danger of inheriting this history unless we stand strong in our commitment to a new direction.
We must re-educate ourselves to a foundation far older than our Constitution as the basis for a new direction and new governance. The Laws of Humanity are simple and clear, and regardless of the path each person takes to understand their responsibility to these laws, the laws remain the same for all, far different from the laws of a constitution which may be derived from those of humanity, but will always retain a biased influence based on the motives of those who have written them. It is not our constitution whose values we must return to – it is the laws of Conscience we must learn to abide by, and in so doing, remember their influence on the laws written into our constitution.
“….we are not weak, if we make a proper use of the means which the God of nature hath placed in our power.”
Our Constitution is only effective if we remember the laws on which it was based; laws of nature, the rights of all humanity, and if, through our conscious consideration of these laws, we hold ourselves accountable to rights of others. Our Constitution ins only effective if we remember that the power of our administration is derived from the “consent of the governed,” and “whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it….”
“They tell us…that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger?”
When will we look within ourselves and see how easily we have blamed our failures on the actions of others and know that we will remain weak until we find the strength within ourselves to be the change we must be to “cope with so formidable an adversary?”
“Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs… hugging the delusive phantom of hope? “
When will we stop believing that by attacking those who run our government, we are actually attacking the problem, ineffectual resistance in the form of blaming those who have taken advantage of the climate of apathy we all have been guilty of by “lying supinely on our backs” rejoicing in the attainment of material wealth and the outward trappings of success, rather than rising up to accept our responsibility for the hard work necessary to retain the freedoms we all so willingly took for granted?
The laws which our founding fathers attempted to define by the laws within our constitution are laws which rely on our adherence to the sanctity of life. Respect for all life, above all else, is a necessary commitment we all must have if the laws of our constitution are to be justly interpreted. Respect for the differences in others, and acceptance of the fact that all differences are necessary to complete the weaving of the fabric of life which our constitutional laws are meant to preserve, is a necessary commitment as well.
We must realize that the values defined by the Laws of Humanity are greater than interpretations limited by the words of man in trying to define these inherent values. Regardless of inadequate interpretations, each individual is responsible for holding themselves accountable to the simple truth of these higher laws, bearing in mind the sanctity of life in all actions.
“I have but one lamp which guides me, and that is the lamp of experience.”
Experience dictates a change in direction. History shows that we continue to repeat mistakes, forcing ourselves to return to the same lessons over and over, never daring to move away from the limited thinking that has kept us in a cycle of progress and regression for two hundred years. Our government has failed to respect the sanctity of life inherent in the meaning of our laws. It is time for change.
What has been tried has not worked. If it had we would not be where we are today.
It is time for a revolution. It is time for a revolution of ideas, but even more it is time for a revolution of action. The adversary may be formidable, but we can be strong enough to overcome, once we realize it is not by attacking our government that this adversary will be beaten.
Wouldn’t victory be had in a restoration of our foundations and a strengthening of our communities to promote the change we envision for our country?
Wouldn’t defeat of this adversary be hastened if, rather than using our resources to attack those who only take advantage of our efforts to further promote themselves, we “make proper use of the means which the God of nature hath placed in our power” to restore the values for which our founding fathers sought to establish a governing system of laws, by starting with our homes, our families and the communities we live in?
We are not weak when we work together, using the strength of our differences in the context of our commonality to redefine our purpose and move forward in achieving our goals. .
It is time for a revolution.
