The Pursuit of Happiness

 By Rev. Amari Magdalena

Life, liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness is in the second paragraph of the first article in the Declaration of Independence.  The great American promise. Absolutely a promise worth embracing in our dream of the greater good.  Yet, and there it is the proverbial, yet, we as a nation are not very happy. In fact, We the People are 23^rd in worldwide ranking of happiness. Oh my, we’re not number one in something?  Shock of all shocks.

 And that document in 1776 failed to mention that those same superlative words applied to everyone, and not simply the white conquistadors, of a nation heretofore made up of brown/red people. Now if being usurped from your own lands doesn’t cause a ripple or two, I’d be amazed. So, truth be told, we started in the glory of overcoming a domineering king while ignoring our own confiscation of property of others we considered inferior.

 On this Independence Day remembrance, it is time for that hard look.  In my life I often refer to it as the “come to Jesus” moment.  A big reality check on the difference between promise and reality. It is the time for the congruity checkup. Are we what we say we are or have we fallen away. It is also past time to make amends in every possible way of those we judged and chose to dominate.

 In the meantime, in our little bubbles of individuality and delusion, we are too often feeling unfulfilled, unhappy, depressed, desperate, and angry. No wonder. There is the more hidden shame of how our country was founded and the nagging truth of debt to those we chose to enslave.

 On top of that, our now integrated media advertisements keep promising happiness if we use this or that product, take this or that pill, drink this or that alcoholic drink (hey, they don’t call it spirits for nothing), engage in this or that sport, take this or that exotic vacations, are surrounded by integrated people always laughing and having fun, keep eternally youthful by using this or that product, and the list goes on. Whew! No wonder we often feel we missed the mark.

As we approach yet another deciding political contest, we are more divided than perhaps even at the civil war. Some of us can’t even talk to our neighbors or some family over this great divide that faces us. We are failing to recognize the very things that once united us.  The similarities that each and every one of us hold dear, that elusive pursuit of happiness!

 Tell me, in truth, that every one of our citizens doesn’t want to be loved, appreciated, held in regard for our innate special talent. Doesn’t each citizen of what was the greatest country in the world, want and deserve, good housing, food on the table, a good measure of dignity, quality education for themselves and their children, safety from crime (we lead the pack of first world nations for crime), access to rejuvenating nature, acceptance without prejudice, pride in what we as a nation and as an individuals can accomplish? Aren’t those our common goals and needs?  Or have I missed something??

 Do you remember some of the lyrics of one of our patriotic songs?

 “America, America may God thy gold refine

'Til all success be nobleness

And every gain divined.

 God shed his grace on thee

And crown thy good

With brotherhood,

From sea to shining sea.”

Glorious lyrics from America the Beautiful. Where are we at this very 4^th of July remembrance? I ask, no beg, each of you to remember the promises and on this special day actually intend that the second paragraph of the first article in the Declaration of Independence be revisited in each and every heart and soul. It is past time to pick up the baton of unity, to quell anger and rage, to move beyond our petty differences, to embrace each and every person as worthy of dignity, and value and restore the principals of democracy. It is way past time to also stop these ridiculous pigment prejudices. The red in our flag represents the red blood that all of us possess. The white is for purity and the blue representing the vast sky we all can enjoy.

 If we could collectively do this, we would certainly bring that illusive happiness to our parties of celebration today and perhaps in a future that we desire for each and every citizen.

 

"The Constitution only guarantees you the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself" -Benjamin Franklin

 

"Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence" -Aristotle

“Don’t just talk that talk, walk it and go forward. Also, the walk didn’t have to be long strides; baby steps counted too. Go forward.” -From the Movie: The Pursuit of Happiness with Will Smith

"…it is the great parent of science & of virtue: and that a nation will be great in both, always in proportion as it is free." "our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost." -Thomas Jefferson

"I do not think the measure of a civilization is how tall its buildings of concrete are, but rather how well its people have learned to relate to their environment and fellow man."

- Sun Bear, Chippewa

"And so, the world watches America—the only great power in history made up of people from every corner of the planet, comprising every race and faith and cultural practice—to see if our experiment in democracy can work. To see if we can do what no other nation has ever done. To see if we can actually live up to the meaning of our cree

Independence: What's It All About

By Rev. Amari Magdalena

Beyond sparklers, rockets and explosions in the July 4^th sky, just what IS independence?  To be independent is our desire to be free from outside control; not depending on another’s authority.  July 4, 1776, White America declared independence from the taxing tyranny of the British Empire. Yet, as we today know, that statement did not provide independence for captive or reservation contained people of color.  As America was colonized and populations spread westward, the cry of independence overlooked lands seized from original occupants.  Yet the cry of freedom rang at every flag rising.

Where does that leave us today?  I’ve been cogitating on that very question.  Independence today seems to mean, leave me alone so I can do whatever I want.  Want to stockpile assault weapons? No problem. Simply drag out the distorted version of the promises of the 2^nd Amendment. Want to play loud music with your windows down, oblivious to noise disturbance?  No problem, few noise abatements signage to prevent it.  Keep your neighbor, that you share thin apartments walls with, up all night as you enjoy all-night TV?  Take a judge to evict you.  Ignore the growing poverty? Turn up your subwoofer’s and deep shade your windows as you cruise in your Porsche or Mercedes Benz.  Untold ways to tune out anything but ourselves and our desires.

In the midst of our hard one independence, it seems, more and more people are depressed and feeling alone and isolated.  Countless articles are addressing this isolation.  We’ve mastered being islands unto ourselves at the expense of the collective or collaborative.  We eschew belonging; yet bite off the extended hand of inclusion.  No wonder we are collectively becoming more mentally unbalanced.

What we’ve lost in independence is the concept of Interdependence.  Tribes knew of the importance of valuing every individual.  As people were treated well and honored, they enjoyed the benefits of the tribe and clans.  Yes, no doubt survival was at the root of this brand of socializing.  Yet, today, even more our survival as a planet depends on our thinking beyond our own individual selves.  The greater good is calling us to re-embrace interdependence, planet wide.

Another aspect of independence is not understanding what it means on an individual level.  It means we must take full responsibility for all our outcomes.  No blame, no shame, no deflection, no scapegoats. Hah!  Didn’t see that one coming, did you?  No priests or politicians to wholesale give our power to.  No Momma or Papa to keep saying are the excuses for the way we are.  Having to be absolutely involved in our own survival.  All costs we shoulder.  Maybe not such a hot deal after all? 

The point of this little Independence Day tome is that it is past time to return to interdependence. Our future holds multi-family living over individual dwellings.  Economics and mental health demand that we create tribes.  Is it going to be easy or comfortable?  Probably not initially.  We love our space!  I love my space!  A necessity to conserve energy, water, land, food supplies, economic alterations, Yes.

In a political year that again the discussion of Democratic Socialism raises hackles of resistance, we cannot afford to keep denying that some form of “you are your brother’s keeper” is in the future. People were awed when Andrew Yang mentioned a country wide living wage.  Robots are more and more performing human tasks.  Robust employment will not be a future in their presence.

How do we find now a comfortable balance between independence and interdependence?  Learn to ask for help.  Open your door and walk out among people.  Engage people wherever you go.  Talk to them about the future of the planet and their vision for a global future.  Join something!  Learn excellent communication skills that you can bring to groups to deal with conflict.  Keep a global perspective along with local concerns.  Become a citizen of the world and care about the people and the planet. Take responsibility for your outcomes.  Make tough decisions. Keep faith in the ability of humanity to recognize our planetary interdependence and take steps for preservation of the Earth.  Give your egos a Golden Parachute, the gold watch, and a lovely early retirement!

As the sky fills with fireworks tomorrow evening, let the sparkles shower your consciousness with “What can I do” to make this a better place for you and me.  Love more, hate less. Say hello in there to fellow travelers on this life journey.

“The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another.”  Thomas Merton

“I have an interesting perspective on depending on others.  I think it gives people a chance to serve. And I’m not so much big on independence, as I am on interdependence.  I’m not talking about co-dependency; I’m talking about giving people the opportunity to be practicing love with its sleeves rolled up.”  Joni Eareckson Tada