Our Way of Life

I've been able to temporarily settle down which has given me some extra time to catch up on my reading. And of course reading is great for encouraging self-reflection and thought of where we are going as a people and a nation.

In the oncoming weeks and months I will attempt to "rewrite" the US Constitution. Yes, somewhat narcissistic to think I could improve upon so great a document that took not one but many of our country's most brilliant founding minds to create, but attempt I will. And with this one huge advantage - hindsight. Unfortunately, like our fore fathers I do not have a crystal ball on hand to tell me what the future will bring so I will do my best to encompass a language that is both easy to understand and easy to apply to the future.

As always I welcome criticism and comments both. When you do, however, I ask that you give a solution to your critiques and clearly state the meaning and direction of your comments. Perhaps together we can create a document worthy of that first great document.

And to start this project off I leave you with two comments, the first a summarization the second a quote.

The Cycle of Democracy has been summarized as:

• From bondage to spiritual faith;
• From spiritual faith to great courage;
• From courage to liberty (rule of law);
• From liberty to abundance;
• From abundance to complacency;
• From complacency to apathy;
• From apathy to dependence;
• From dependence back into bondage (rule of men).

I believe when are somewhere in midst of apathy and bondage. I pray that "we the people" can reverse that trend back to a land of the "free and the brave".

In 1916, a minister and outspoken advocate for liberty, William J. H. Boetcker, published a pamphlet entitled The Ten Cannots:

• You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
• You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
• You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.
• You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
• You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence.
• You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
• You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
• You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
• You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
• You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they will not do for themselves.

Seems so simple yet some many people disavow the complete logic of the above. I hope to embed the above principles in our "new" constitution.

Good luck to all of us.