In Colonial times, the citizens of the New World entered a new way of life never seen before in human existence. Endless opportunities lay at the feet of every man, woman and child. All you had to do was use your talents, be tenacious and never give up. Until then, citizens were restricted to their “pre-determined” way of life, simply by birth. However, in the New World we call America, no such restriction existed.
Back then, people were beginning to understand the laws of nature. For example, electricity has existed from the beginning of time in the form of lightning, but no one understood it. Benjamin Franklin was always fascinated by lightning and he would experiment in an attempt to harvest and use this power for the good of all.
Even the most basic of natural laws were not understood. Consider gravity. You don’t have to understand it to know that if you throw a ball in the air, it will come down. Or if you jump off a cliff, you will fall to the ground below. As the story goes, once an apple landed on Isaac Newton’s head, he began in earnest to figure out gravity. And over time, the impact of gravity would be understood. And here’s the exciting part, once understood, the impact of gravity could be used to overcome gravity’s effect.
Orville and Wilbur Wright understood gravity and by accepting its principles as they exist in nature, the brothers were able to put a “heavier than air” object into the air. Today, through the understanding of this law of nature, we are able to put a metal object in the air and fly it around the world, or to the moon, or into geosynchronous orbit. Once understood, the laws of gravity can be used to unleash innovation far beyond trying to figure out why an apple lands on your head.
This takes us back to our founders. When the laws of nature are understood and accepted, then innovation is unleashed far beyond what anyone could have imagined. Our founders proclaimed their existence in the Declaration of Independence and further recognized that certain ‘truths’ are self-evident – whether you believe in them or not. Certainly the most famous of phrases known to all is that we are endowed by our Creator “with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
As Americanism embraced these ‘truths,’ innovation and advancement unleashed luxury on all humankind. In the present time, we reap their benefits only dreamed about by our founders. Clean water, air condition, refrigeration, electronic devices of all kinds, medical advancements, the automobile and mosquito control all stem from the first desire to recognize and understand the laws of nature.
Sadly today, many are trying to work against nature and unalienable rights. Many accept the unmooring of these ‘truths,’ and actively disavow their existence. Public policy is being altered to facilitate these untruths.
Governments exist to foster the use of unalienable rights for the good of the individual, not for the good of the society. When these efforts conflict, we all will lose.
If you work with the laws of nature, and not against them, then you unleash human advancement far beyond anything imagined. You can disavow gravity and not even believe it exists, but no matter how hard you try to avoid its effects, this law of nature will win. Gravity Happens.
On this Independence Day, we need to focus on unleashing the rights of individuals, and not increasing the power of government. Whether you believe it, understand it or dispute its existence, gravity is a law of nature. And so are our unalienable rights.
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Make it a Great Day to Live,
Shak Hill
www.ShakHill.com
