I'm not a history buff...but...Jefferson was "right"...
We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with inherent and unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness.
We, as Americans, all have certain unalienable rights. These rights were layed out in the U.S. Constitution in 1789, and a short time later redefined in The Bill of Rights. A few years before you may remember a little document called the Declaration of Independence, these rights were stated here as well...a precursor to the Constitution.
The D.of I. was drafted and written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776. Then sent on to Ben Franklin and John Adams for editing, then to congress for ratification in 1789.
We saw the latest Will Smith flick the other day, The Pursuit of Happyness. And, yes, that is how happiness is mis-spelled in the title - from a little scene where Smith’s character (Chris Gardner) sees that passage written on a wall near his son’s daycare center. He reminds the six year old of the correct spelling.
The short take on the movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, is Garner’s struggle to earn money to support his family, find a better career, and be happy. The flick is a gentle, sweet, feel-good piece that really does address this right stated in the Declaration of Independence. But it also points out one detail that we may overlook. Garner, surviving one disappointmet after after the other, realizes that his right to the pursuit of happiness is just that...the right to the pursuit. The Declaration of Indepence did not say we all have the right to be happy.
Without spoiling the ending of the movie, let me at least say that it has a happy ending. It is based on a true story. And you do go away with a renewed faith that this unalienable right is an important one. Of course, Life & Liberty are pretty essential was well. We Americans all have those two, we take them for granted. But not all of us are happy. You see, whether you want them or not, you got them...Life & Liberty. But happiness is fleeting - you have the choice to be happy, the choice to pursue it anyway.
As I sit this early morning and, well, "mourn" the passing of a big job opportunity yesterday...I have to remind myself of Thomas Jefferson’s words. Maybe it was appropriate that I received the bad news about the job five minutes after we got home from the seeing this movie. There was a message on the phone. “Hey, Skip. I don’t want you to think it had anything to do with you...but we have decided not to fill that position until after the third quarter”. (I assumed he wasn’t referring to a football game that would be ending in a couple of hours). “Again, please don’t feel that it has anything to do with what you did. The powers-to-be have made the decision to hold off for a while”. Some consolation I suppose. He could have said, “Thanks for your interest, but we have decided to hire another candidate whose skills and qualifications were better than yours, asshole!".
I thank my lucky stars anyway. I had Loretta standing next to me during my return call, “Don’t worry honey. Something will happen after Christmas. It’s not the best time of year for this”. And she’s right.
The dictionary defines the word pursue: To follow in an effort to overtake or capture; to strive to gain or accomplish; to proceed along the course of. Wow, that's a strong definition compared to what I thought it meant...overtake, capture, accomplish, gain. I just thought it meant chase!
There ya’ go! Or more specifically, here I go! The pursuit is still on. Next!
We, as Americans, all have certain unalienable rights. These rights were layed out in the U.S. Constitution in 1789, and a short time later redefined in The Bill of Rights. A few years before you may remember a little document called the Declaration of Independence, these rights were stated here as well...a precursor to the Constitution.
The D.of I. was drafted and written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776. Then sent on to Ben Franklin and John Adams for editing, then to congress for ratification in 1789.
We saw the latest Will Smith flick the other day, The Pursuit of Happyness. And, yes, that is how happiness is mis-spelled in the title - from a little scene where Smith’s character (Chris Gardner) sees that passage written on a wall near his son’s daycare center. He reminds the six year old of the correct spelling.
The short take on the movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, is Garner’s struggle to earn money to support his family, find a better career, and be happy. The flick is a gentle, sweet, feel-good piece that really does address this right stated in the Declaration of Independence. But it also points out one detail that we may overlook. Garner, surviving one disappointmet after after the other, realizes that his right to the pursuit of happiness is just that...the right to the pursuit. The Declaration of Indepence did not say we all have the right to be happy.
Without spoiling the ending of the movie, let me at least say that it has a happy ending. It is based on a true story. And you do go away with a renewed faith that this unalienable right is an important one. Of course, Life & Liberty are pretty essential was well. We Americans all have those two, we take them for granted. But not all of us are happy. You see, whether you want them or not, you got them...Life & Liberty. But happiness is fleeting - you have the choice to be happy, the choice to pursue it anyway.
As I sit this early morning and, well, "mourn" the passing of a big job opportunity yesterday...I have to remind myself of Thomas Jefferson’s words. Maybe it was appropriate that I received the bad news about the job five minutes after we got home from the seeing this movie. There was a message on the phone. “Hey, Skip. I don’t want you to think it had anything to do with you...but we have decided not to fill that position until after the third quarter”. (I assumed he wasn’t referring to a football game that would be ending in a couple of hours). “Again, please don’t feel that it has anything to do with what you did. The powers-to-be have made the decision to hold off for a while”. Some consolation I suppose. He could have said, “Thanks for your interest, but we have decided to hire another candidate whose skills and qualifications were better than yours, asshole!".
I thank my lucky stars anyway. I had Loretta standing next to me during my return call, “Don’t worry honey. Something will happen after Christmas. It’s not the best time of year for this”. And she’s right.
The dictionary defines the word pursue: To follow in an effort to overtake or capture; to strive to gain or accomplish; to proceed along the course of. Wow, that's a strong definition compared to what I thought it meant...overtake, capture, accomplish, gain. I just thought it meant chase!
There ya’ go! Or more specifically, here I go! The pursuit is still on. Next!
posted by James | 7:26 AM
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