When I think about the men that founded this great experiment called The United States of America, lofty words always come to mind. Words like visionary, titan, ingenious, dreamer… While all of these words are certainly appropriate adjectives to characterize our Founding Fathers, it dawned on me that there are other more mundane descriptions that are just as important, possibly more important. I believe words like hard, determined, committed and dedicated better describe the condition of these extraordinary men and their ideals.
First Continental Congress portrayed
Let’s look back 250 years and consider how these more common, simple words fit into the narrative of our Founding Fathers; how do these common words affect their legacies and the way that we should remember them.
250 years ago, there was no air travel. There were no limousine services. No paved roads, no roadside motels, no rest stops. Think about it. Men and women in that era lived hard lives, even in the best of circumstances.
In an era of primitive transportation, no plumbing, no running water, no electricity, no concrete, no telephones, no internet, the people of this era built an infrastructure that allowed for the interaction of the colonies, commerce, education, and the arts to take root and flourish.
To me, that defines the word Hard.
In our era, our elected officials jump on a plane (at our expense) and fly to Washington and back, sometimes on a weekly basis. Would these same men and women undertake this journey 250 years ago? I think not. The distance between Charleston, SC and Philadelphia, PA at that time was about 750 miles. When riding hard, a man could cover 20-30 miles a day, assuming the trails upon which they rode were in decent shape. To travel these 750 miles would take a man 25 days to make the trip. You really have to want to go somewhere when you sleep nightly by an open fire, care for your horse and feed yourself for almost a month in the heat, the cold, the wind, rain and snow.
Headed to Philadelphia for Continental Congress (depicted by a reenactor)
Can you imagine your senator or congressman traveling 25 days in those conditions just for the opportunity to represent YOU? Not mine, no way, no how.
This is the very definition of Dedication.
These people hitched up their horses or mules when they needed to travel on muddy trails that served as roads and traveled for hours to go what takes us minutes in our society. To our forefathers, adversity was just a typical day.
These men, between planting and harvesting crops by hand; between driving wagons to and from distant markets; between conducting their business even between the shores of the Atlantic, found the time to think about a better way to govern. They found the time to find each other and outline a destiny for themselves and their children. They found the time to come together and forge a Constitution and Bill of Rights into existence. They found the time to rebel and they found the time to win our independence.
That is Commitment.
Merriam Webster defines Dedication as: “an act or rite of dedicating to a divine being or to a sacred use”.
What true American can dispute that The United States of America is anything but sacred and was created for any other purpose than to provide freedom and independence to its people for the betterment of themselves and their posterity? I suppose, it is possible that some men and women who helped to found our country did not initially have such a grandiose goal in mind. However, it is crystal clear that over the course of our nation’s genesis this principal of sacred freedom was foremost in their minds. All you have to do is read the documents they penned, study their faith and perseverance through their hard-fought battles, and appreciate their sacrifices as they buried their sons, husbands, fathers who died in order to attain their dream of a land where men could live according to their own beliefs and hard work to see success, rather than be born into a position of favor.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Do I not deserve men such as our forefathers to represent me?
- Do I not work hard for what I have?
- Do I not deserve the fruits of my labor?
- Do I not rate the same level of respect that our forefathers bestowed to every American 250 years ago?
To this I say YES, YES and YES!
We have an upcoming election that is primarily focused on the Presidential race, but it is more than just an election for President. It is also an election for U.S. Congress and Senate positions, as well as state and local representation.
The election of good, trustworthy men and women that are hard, determined, committed and dedicated is completely up to you as a voting citizen of The United States of America.
- You must educate yourself on the scope and limits of government that our forefathers established based on extensive study of world history and governance. Our Founding Fathers risked their lives and fortunes by signing their names to the Declaration of Independence, then our Constitution and Bill of Rights.
- You must know and understand meaning of our Declaration of Independence and the reasons why America exists in the first place.
- You have to educate yourself on the issues affecting our country.
- But more importantly, you must educate yourself in regard to the people running for these positions. You must know their character and qualifications and their reasons for wishing to represent you.
Only people with YOUR best interests at heart, the desire to serve and then leave, and the character to do what is right rather than what is popular or tows the party line, deserve your consideration for these jobs. Our Federal Government was instituted to work for US, the people…NOT the other way around.
If the current politicos that make up our governing bodies do not believe these three basic tenets, they are NOT the people that deserve to represent YOU.
Keep this in mind as you check the box, pull the lever or press the button. It starts with you and ends with you. Make the right decision for you, your family and your country. Take time to Decode the Political Chatter…
GBB
Why It Matters 