Letter #2: A Bulwark From Tyranny
Dear Fellow American,
I would like to share some thoughts with you today regarding the fragile nature of our Country, and the papers from which it was formed. I'm dearly sorry for overlooking pleasantries, but I've had a great many things on my mind of late, and as an old woman, I don't like to waste what precious time I have left. I like sipping tea and getting to the point - you'll learn that about me.
I want to start by saying that I hope you know my intention will never be to offend you, and I won't take offense if you disagree with me. In fact, I encourage your dissent. And if it just so happens that we should disagree, I do hope you'll tell me, and I do hope you'll listen.
And if we should so happen to tell each other something that flies in the face of what the other sees as common sense, I hope we can continue talking and sharing. For we are bonded in a way I would not like to see destroyed.
The US Constitution
But what is this bond of which I speak? It may at first appear to be the human bond, but no, that's not it (though, that too, holds great value). Rather, I'm here to speak of a different bond - the American bond - forged almost 250 years ago with the Declaration of Independence and solidified by the US Constitution in 1787, which begins:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure (sic) domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence (sic), promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
You see, I've been reading a lot of things lately, and many of them say that America deserves to perish. But I disagree. I love my Country and the Blessings of Liberty, and I believe that the US Constitution is one of the finest documents ever written by mankind. Is it perfect? What a silly question.
But I do believe that, even among today's wild American diatribes, most of us can agree that it is something worth anchoring to. For with a steady anchor, we shall not go astray.
Inalienable rights
And why should it not be? For, say what you will about the hypocrisy of the founding fathers, the ugly stains riddling our nation's history, or the petty divisiveness of the current state of US domestic affairs, this precious document has allowed us, as a Country, to be among the pioneers of human rights on almost every level imaginable.
And I do believe it is under threat. Not by any one person or party, but in a much larger and broader sense - in the conscience of the American psyche.
In recent days, my heart has ached at the thought that my loved ones died fighting for a Country declared to be free under a principle that seems to be almost entirely forgotten, that "we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (sic) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."
And yes, I know it says "men." One could also point out that this country was built on the exploitation and eradication of a people to whom this land should have more aptly belonged in the most literal sense - that they were here first.
A bulwark from tyranny
But to put it simply, I cannot make justifications for the injustices of man; those injustices have been around for as long as mankind has. How easy it is to justify the destruction of the human race when we look only to the atrocities made at our hands.
But there is nothing little old me can do about those things, other than to accept that I am part of the problem. As humans, we are all part of the problem. Our only consolation - for those of us who care - is that we can also work to be part of the solution.
The truth is, the US Constitution is the only thing standing between us and tyranny. For, as Socrates said over 2500 years ago, of which our founding fathers were well aware, democracy is only one place removed from tyranny. That's why they wrote a document of which the sole purpose was to protect against it.
But the Constitution is only a piece of paper (well, a few), and it is only as strong as our conviction to it. The moment we stop adhering to it is the same moment it becomes irrelevant, and the moment it becomes irrelevant is the moment America, as we know it, ceases to exist.
Final Note
I'll take my leave here, as I'm sure I've already overstayed my welcome, but I'll end by saying that, while the current election results may already be in, I'm casting one vote right here and now for an election that has been taking ballots for almost 250 years.
I'm casting one vote for America, for our Constitution, for our Creator-endowed, self-evident and unalienable Rights, for Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Perhaps you'll disagree and vote nay. I certainly hope not, but even if you do, I will always value our bond.
Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this content, please like, subscribe, and spread the word.
Your Faithful Friend,
Old Patriot
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