The fathers of this nation (I’m in the US) meet in 1775, and proposed to separate themselves from British rule over a considerable list of grievances. Many gave up their lives, homes and families following the signing of that document which turned learned scholars and lawyers into criminal traitors in the eyes of Britain. Jefferson borrowed ideas from the enlightenment thinkers — John Locke and Thomas Hobbes. The most controversial idea in the declaration are the first words (after the preamble), where it says:
“We take these truths to be self evident,” these were intelligent men who knew that something self-evident to mean one of the intrinsic truths of logic that was an axiom on which other facts rest as basic and logically unprovable as the mathematical expression 1=1.
“that all men are created equal,” this that we today make light of was very shocking for the time, even in a time they weren’t talking about equality for blacks or women — this was still more equal than anything we’d seen in a ‘modern western culture’.
“That they are endowed, by their creator, with certain unalienable rights,” Natural Rights were first proposed by John Locke in answer to Hobbes ideas about Natural Laws. This statement is the basis for pushing for the first 10 amendments to the constitution (The Bill of Rights), and tells us that the founders believed in Natural Rights and Natural Laws as something intrinsic to man from creation. Yes, the founders who believed in freedom of religion were mostly religious men.
“To secure these rights, governments are instituted among men,” was one of the most inflammatory statements to the British crown. Monarchies always saw the people as existing to serve the monarchy, not the monarchy existing to serve the people.
“[W]hen governments become destructive to these ends it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it…” if you don’t like, change it. This is what they were doing, and probably the phrase that caused them the most trouble with the British government.
Carolyn Ann,
1. Independents means without dependence. It means standing on your own two feet without rule or support of a foriegn body. That, however, is not necessary or sufficient to remove responsibility.
2. Yes, you can think Jesus is a fictional character; but there are historical accounts of him. I can think Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy or Adolf Hitler is fictional character, too; but wouldn’t you think me a bit odd to just deny recorded historical events. I can understand not believe Jesus of Nazareth is, the Christos and/or the son of God; and I can even see denying the miracles we’ve testimony of as being over active and zealous imagninations… But to deny historical record that the man lived, turned the tables upside down at the temple and was kill in crucifixion would be fool hearty. As for me, I see no reason why John the Baptist, Peter, Paul and the other disciples would all rather die for a lie they made up, then to simply confess that it was just a story; so, I must in earnest believe that they wrote in earnest. Historical record even has it that Peter may have even requested his Crucifixion to be done upside down out of respect for Jesus; which I have a hard time believing he’d do if the man never lived. To chose to believe or not to believe is still your choice; but choices still have consequences.
3. Yes, many people who call them selvs “different” or “non-conformists” are just following a different subcultures mores and taboos; but the person or small group who starts the movement that creates the subculture are truely non-conformist.
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In 1955, the Federal Republic of Germany as it is known today declared fully sovereign. I am very happy about that and grateful.
Toby: I love you. You show me year after year what independent thought is, and how we can also help each other in achieving our goals. You help me so much. xoxoM
For me it goes back to the origin… my freedom to worship Christ without government hindrances.
The application of four principles that culminate into action:
• The maxim, All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.
• Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity. –Horace Mann, 1859
• Duty above all else except honor.
• Never fear to stand alone.
The hot dog thing, well … nothing like scooped up mystery meat from the slaughterhouse floor and rendered into a hot dog. Gotta love them. [attitude="hell-yeah"]. Ballpark Angus Hot Dogs.
The fireworks thing, be safe and careful with such things. For those who live in areas of the US where gunfire is more prevalent than fireworks, please practice proper firearm safety.
Funny, today is 4th July in my nation too! I`m from Brazil and we got the same calendar!
Independence is not bombing another country just because it doesn`t agree with you in oil issues. Independence is respect the “other” who is completely different of you, of your colour, your religion, your political point of view, your territory and other staff. This is independence to me.
I have to agree with Henrique, it’s also 4th of July in Canada were I live and I just asked my family in Mexico and it’s also 4th of July there.
However, it’s not Independence Day everywhere (except Philippines, but that was kind of on purpose)
Independence to me is being able to speak and act without fear of retribution but conscious of the consequences.
Many years ago, I had been through a very long drawn-out painful breakup with someone, and I received a particularly vicious email from them on July 3. The next day I went to work in my temp job which involved opening envelopes and stamping things with the date, and so every single time of the hundreds of thing s I stamped, I looked at that “July 4″ and went “independence! independence!” in my head. Wooo haa!
Being an Australian, we don’t have an independence day. Personally I see my own independence happening when I refused to sing “God Save the Queen” when I was a fourth grader.
Later it was when I voted no like most other Australians to John Howard’s Clayton’s Republic in 1999.
Now us Australian are talking about a new republic with our own bill of rights.
Happy 4th of July to all Americans.
Peace to all humanity.
To be without subjugation.
Natalie is free to worship her deities, and I’m free to consider Jesus to be a fictional character, and religion to be frightful encumbrance. That’s “freedom” – independence is the ability to figure it out for ourselves.
One thing independence does not have is responsibility. If we assume it does have responsibility, we apply a condition – we subjugate our independence, reducing it to a bare facade. (I’m not saying that Roberto is applying such a condition; his comment just reminded me of that point. He might be aware of the consequences of his words, as I occasionally am with mine, but that’s not anything that independence requires.)
Ever notice how so many non-conformists conform – but to each other?
Are they independent thinkers, or simply dependent upon a slightly different set of standards?
I’m back…
Carolyn Ann
[...] Mas a idéia de escrever este texto, completamente off-topic, é baseado no texto da Molly E. Holzschlag, a famosa diva dos padrões web, publicado ontem, no dia 4 de julho. Eu até deixei 2 comentários lá, baseado no início do post dela, que foi editado por ela depois sem avisar. É que o post dava a entender que o 4 de julho é como se fosse uma data universal de se comemorar a “independência” no mundo. Mesmo que não tenha sido a intenção dela eu sei, foi o que estava escrito. Só depois ela alterou o início para ficar mais claro que a independência ao qual ela se referia era a americana, e não a iraquiana por exemplo. Ops, esqueci, os iraquianos não tem independência porque eles não são livres. Desculpe Cardoso, eu não tenho a mesma coragem (sim, sou covarde) que você tem de não explicar para quem não sabe ler certas ironias, por isso te admiro! [...]
Independence to me is the possibility to do mistakes on my own
The fathers of this nation (I’m in the US) meet in 1775, and proposed to separate themselves from British rule over a considerable list of grievances. Many gave up their lives, homes and families following the signing of that document which turned learned scholars and lawyers into criminal traitors in the eyes of Britain. Jefferson borrowed ideas from the enlightenment thinkers — John Locke and Thomas Hobbes. The most controversial idea in the declaration are the first words (after the preamble), where it says:
“We take these truths to be self evident,” these were intelligent men who knew that something self-evident to mean one of the intrinsic truths of logic that was an axiom on which other facts rest as basic and logically unprovable as the mathematical expression 1=1.
“that all men are created equal,” this that we today make light of was very shocking for the time, even in a time they weren’t talking about equality for blacks or women — this was still more equal than anything we’d seen in a ‘modern western culture’.
“That they are endowed, by their creator, with certain unalienable rights,” Natural Rights were first proposed by John Locke in answer to Hobbes ideas about Natural Laws. This statement is the basis for pushing for the first 10 amendments to the constitution (The Bill of Rights), and tells us that the founders believed in Natural Rights and Natural Laws as something intrinsic to man from creation. Yes, the founders who believed in freedom of religion were mostly religious men.
“To secure these rights, governments are instituted among men,” was one of the most inflammatory statements to the British crown. Monarchies always saw the people as existing to serve the monarchy, not the monarchy existing to serve the people.
“[W]hen governments become destructive to these ends it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it…” if you don’t like, change it. This is what they were doing, and probably the phrase that caused them the most trouble with the British government.
Carolyn Ann,
1. Independents means without dependence. It means standing on your own two feet without rule or support of a foriegn body. That, however, is not necessary or sufficient to remove responsibility.
2. Yes, you can think Jesus is a fictional character; but there are historical accounts of him. I can think Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy or Adolf Hitler is fictional character, too; but wouldn’t you think me a bit odd to just deny recorded historical events. I can understand not believe Jesus of Nazareth is, the Christos and/or the son of God; and I can even see denying the miracles we’ve testimony of as being over active and zealous imagninations… But to deny historical record that the man lived, turned the tables upside down at the temple and was kill in crucifixion would be fool hearty. As for me, I see no reason why John the Baptist, Peter, Paul and the other disciples would all rather die for a lie they made up, then to simply confess that it was just a story; so, I must in earnest believe that they wrote in earnest. Historical record even has it that Peter may have even requested his Crucifixion to be done upside down out of respect for Jesus; which I have a hard time believing he’d do if the man never lived. To chose to believe or not to believe is still your choice; but choices still have consequences.
3. Yes, many people who call them selvs “different” or “non-conformists” are just following a different subcultures mores and taboos; but the person or small group who starts the movement that creates the subculture are truely non-conformist.
I do agree completely with the Henrique words:
“Independence is not bombing another country just because it doesn`t agree with you in oil issues. Independence is respect the “other” who is completely different of you, of your colour, your religion, your political point of view, your territory and other staff. This is independence to me. ”
Perfect!
The 2nd Continental Congress order called for 2 battalions of Marines to be raised on 10 November 1775 and the US has been independent since. Independence to me was having served in this group who keeps us fee.
thank you
The indipendence for me is the possibility to dream and follow our dreams.
thanks
Peace to all humanity.