We Hold These Truths

America is beautiful; America is not perfect.

Nothing is perfect, no one is perfect, no place is perfect.

In fact, perfection is unattainable in this world, because we are fallible in nature, and the world’s standards for perfection are constantly changing, not always for the better. The American flag has always been a symbol OF OUR PURSUIT of honorable ideals. Our flag doesn't represent what America has done any more than the Christian Bible would represent the evils that some have supposedly done in God’s name. Both claims have been made, and both claims are false. Evil acts are in direct opposition to what man is Biblically called, and the sins of America’s past are in direct opposition to what the flag represents. The flag represents movement through battle; it represents the good that America can and should do despite the struggle. It represents the freedom to make tomorrow better than the day before. This Republic stands for ONE nation under God, INDIVISIBLE, for LIBERTY and JUSTICE for ALL. Some of its citizens haven’t always DONE those things, but the flag is a SYMBOL of an AGREEMENT among ALL CITIZENS who honor it, that “we hold these truths to be self evident, that ALL men are created equal” and “that they are endowed by their Creator.” That is why the wording “under God” was later added to the Pledge of Allegiance. It’s not because we are all Christians, we are not, it is because we agree to deem one another as having so great a value that we must have been made by something or some One greater than ourselves, and so oppression is inherently evil. Whether my neighbor believes in God or not makes no difference in this because FOR ME to believe that my neighbor was created in so great an image as God’s, is FOR ME to hold them to the highest esteem. Honoring the flag is an outward expression of the commitment that we hold TO ONE ANOTHER that unity, liberty, and justice for all are the ideals for which we stand. It is precisely WHY we all stand TOGETHER, all place our hands on our hearts, and all sing the same song. This display of unity is resoundingly good! When we stand and honor the flag, we are promising one another that, as citizens of this nation, we will PURSUE those values together for one another with every new day. Can we do better? The answer will forever be yes to that because humans are fallible and foolish often times, but that is the very point that we make. That we push forward to what is better. These IDEALS are honorable, a high standard for all people to pursue everywhere despite those who have failed. Some have historically failed miserably, but In this very young nation, we are making strides faster and further forward than other nations precisely because WE continue to HOLD THESE TRUTHS! WILL we do better? Those who stand and make that commitment, WILL because unity and love demand fruitfulness. There are some among us, who allow themselves to be led in unresolved anger and disappointment to such a degree that they would rather cause dissension and strife than to pursue the kind of sacred unity that can destroy past and repeating evils. Those who hate the sins of our past should be the very ones who stand taller and sing louder than all others precisely because of the promise of what that flag represents, the pursuit of the abolishment of those sins. But this non participation among some is nothing new. There has always been, from the very beginning of this nation, some who do not choose to work together for a better tomorrow. They would rather call it unredeemable, throw it all out and start over, but they too will find that they, themselves, repeat again and again the same rotten sins of the past in one form or another. Why? Because hatred does not create Love. Un-forgiveness does not create peace. Just look at the history of the world. Uniformity does not create unity!

“There is nothing new under the sun.”

“There is a way that seems right in man’s own eyes, but in the end it leads to death.”

“Wisdom is justified by her children”, and the children that are born of disunity, hatred and dissent are rotten, unfruitful, and, ultimately, self destructive. They have not yet given birth to one good thing and they never will. Don’t let your heart be dismayed, haters always lose in the end because unity does exist, and it is rooted in love, and love never fails. It just never fails!

God fights with those who fight for Him, and God is Love: pure, undefiled, Love. We do not pursue uniformity, we pursue unity. You do not have to be like me for me to be for you. That is what this all means. Just as it is disgraceful to honor what is disgraceful, it is disgraceful to dishonor what is honorable. These IDEALS: Unity, Liberty and Justice for all, are honorable! If one has fallen, should we all throw in the towel and fall? Of course not! That is why we represent these values with a flag! What an appropriate display!! The very thing that must not fall into the dirt has to be held high above oppression, war and death. It must be carried on, even if the one who carried it yesterday stumbled, let the next generation step up, grab a hold and CARRY IT above the mire into a better union.

Our flag has never represented the past. By it, some are reminded of the past, but choose also to be reminded then that today is better than yesterday, and tomorrow will be better than today! Why? It will be better because we CONTINUE to HOLD THESE TRUTHS as self-evident.

The flag has always been about OUR future. I stand and honor the flag, BECAUSE I BELIEVE WE'VE ONLY BEGUN, and it is my duty to carry that on. Our latter will be greater. <3

God bless every American on this Independence Day!

This is why we stand, sing, recite and celebrate today! WE are those who will carry each other into a better tomorrow.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

#TheAmericanFlag #IPledgeAllegiance #OneNationUnderGod #Honor #Unity #Libertyforall #Justiceforall #abettertomorrow #whywestandfortheflag