By Dru Hunsaker

“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 Declaration of Independence.

These words were born of some of the greatest minds of the eighteenth century, signed and sealed by the blood of patriots. They are a testament to their belief that liberty is more important than one’s own mortality, that freedom requires sacrifice, and that every man is owed their God-given rights. Few words have ever been cherished more than these. They were and are a beacon of hope to the oppressed, and a sign that there were some in the world courageous enough to lay down their own lives to allow generations to come the opportunities that they never had. They sacrificed and bled and died for those words. They were true to them to the very end.

We have lost that fire that burned deep within the heart of every American who fought to claim that title. They wore it with pride and honor, knowing just how much those men paid for the right to declare themselves free. It was a heavy price, and they paid it in full. They paid with the tears of mothers who would never see their sons return home. They paid with screams of agony on bloodied battlefields. They paid with the loss of limb and life.

Somewhere along the way we lost the spirit of those words. We have forgotten the cost of freedom. We have lost the humble fervor and resolution with which they declared those words. We have lost the courage to stand up for  and  proudly wave the flag that symbolizes honor and sacrifice. Instead, we have become preoccupied with all that we are lacking. We expect the government to provide us with happiness and we are not satisfied with anything else.

The truth is that we have a growing entitlement complex that is plaguing one of the most fortunate nations on the planet. Apathy and discontentment have become a raging epidemic. They are a force that overshadows every good thing that surrounds us, until all that we see is all that we are lacking.

We are not entitled to happiness. It is not guaranteed by that solemn Declaration that was and is held dear by so many. It is not guaranteed by the Constitution, or the Gettysburg Address, or any other famous document that we look to as crucial pieces of American history. We are entitled to life, and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We are free to pursue our own happiness. We are free to choose our path in life. We cannot choose the consequences of our actions, and we are in no way guaranteed happiness by our government.

The fathers of our nation built this country on the belief that every man is created equal, and that they are free to pursue their own destiny. But they also built this country on firm moral ground, rooted in a work ethic unrivaled by many throughout the ages. They did not wait to be given their freedom. They took it and they guarded it. They did not wait to be given their happiness. They ensured it for themselves and for their posterity.

The government does not owe us our happiness. We owe it to ourselves to find what makes us happy, and then use our precious freedom to pursue that happiness. Those men pledged their lives to this cause. Men and women today continue to uphold this dedication to acting on behalf of the American people and preserving their liberty. While there is certainly more that could be done to improve the state of our country, we cannot allow those thoughts to distract us from all of the good that we have accomplished.

So it is time. It is time for us as Americans to have a little more pride in all that our country has accomplished. It is time for us to hold our hands over our hearts and pledge our allegiance. It is time for us to set aside some of the bad and see a little more of the good. It is time for us to throw off our discontentment, to silence our complaints, and to find a greater desire to work. It is time for us to make a difference. The road to freedom cannot stop with our revolutionary forefathers. It cannot stop with our veteran grandparents. It must continue on, a living legacy,  “dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal”~Gettysburg Address.

Thomas Jefferson and his companions ended their declaration with these words:

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”

It is time for us to pledge more of ourselves to the republic for which we stand. One nation under God. One and Indivisible.