Born on the Fourth of July

William Shanley

Give Get NationIf lately it seems our nation has lost its way with government policies of global hegemony and avarice, it’s important to remember that 230 years ago a community of enlightened and incredibly brave people declared their independence from all forms of tyranny in the Declaration of Independence: “…We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. –That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness…” And so, it is appropriate that we too, declare our independence from more modern forms of repression over our God-given freedoms and redouble our commitment to a vision for “life, liberty and happiness” for all people of the United States and the world. But today requires a different kind of savvy. The unlimited, uncharted paradise of the colonial era has been mapped and the commons is now being rapidly privatized. While we can gather together to work to redirect ourselves and reclaim our heritage, there is an unbroken universe of love, harmony and sufficiency we can all experience that is just a thought away. … As human beings with brains capable of more possible associations than the number of atoms in the universe, we can envision and manifest any kind of future we want. We can create a world of love or a world of fear. The choice is yours and mine. We can continue to exploit our resources and create scarcity through an unbridled greed and gluttony by a world-ego run amok, or we can achieve balance and sufficiency in a world of sharing our essence. … We must never forget that it is “We the people…” who have the power, the genius and the vision to “ordain” a better world for all humanity and achieve what was once thought to be beyond humanity’s grasp: “a world that works for everyone.” At GiveGet Nation, we hope you’ll join us in a pioneering effort to begin to right our course. We believe all people have gifts and wishes and genius to share, and we hope that we have provided an even playing field for the Infinite Game of Life.