As I read and study the papers and writings of our founding “fathers,” I believe that to the best of their ability and with the help of the Native people here, they were trying to found a democracy. In that democracy, not only were all people free and equal, they were equal in the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness.
- Nowhere – absolutely nowhere, in the early papers or writings was there any mention of the need to become rich or more power being assigned to the rich. Indeed, often the “rich” are seen as the least productive people in the society who contribute the least to the society as a whole. The rich are often the biggest drain on the society.
From my perspective, I have found that I do not trust people who do not know how to and do not work. I don’t know what it is – – – maybe it is as simple as getting our hands dirty or grounded in the earth. I have been in many situations where those who do not know how to wash their own dishes, mow their own lawns, or mend their own clothes (or even know that favorite clothes can be mended!) cannot be trusted and are a drain on us all
Humans need to be grounded with the material plane because we are living on the material plane. Those who feed off others and do not know how to take care of themselves or their children have something lacking in themselves. Studies have shown that men who take care of infants and children actually have structural changes in their brains. If we live only in our heads with concepts, ideas, and money (money is an abstraction), we become distorted and deviate from our potential as humans.
- Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness does not include being rich!
- It does include the right to be healthy.
- It includes the right to breath healthy air (not air polluted to make someone else rich!)
- It does include the right to drink healthy water (not water polluted to make someone else rich!)
- It does include the right to live on a healthy land and enjoy the beauty of the earth (not an earth destroyed by over-extracting its wealth for a few while others have to deal with the results of the destruction of the earth for the wealth of others.)
- It includes the right to eat healthy food.
- It includes healthcare and not to have to suffer from illness created in the process of making others wealthy.
Many of the healthcare needs we have are caused by two major factors – pollution of the environment and the side-effects of addiction in its broadest sense. Both of these kinds of health issues are caused by side effects of the addictive process in its broadest sense.
- We as a democratic nation are committed to the health and welfare of all our citizens.
- More is not necessarily better – especially if just for a few.
- More is not better, especially if others must have less to achieve it.
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
- When the “pursuit of happiness” destroys our brothers and sisters and the earth, how can it possibly be happiness?
Dear Anne, you speak right from my soul. Thank you for this important truth. It is such a unquestioned commonplace that money makes the world go around, when actually gravity and love are doing the trick. Steffi