There is a lesson for July 4th, Independence Day, in Michael Jackson’s death.
The lesson: There are more important things in our lives than celebrities and pop culture. Jackson had it all yet he was poor in so many ways.
May Michael Jackson finally get to be a real child and may he rest in peace.
Our nation is too focused on celebrities and pop culture and therefore not paying enough attention to the details affecting our freedom; including our freedom to enjoy the music and movies that make our popular culture the envy of people that can only dream of freedom like ours.
I think Jackson’s death, coming so close to our annual Independence Day celebrations, should remind us of what really is important; our freedom. Celebrity doesn’t matter, nor does keeping up to date with the latest in pop culture. Freedom matters.
This July 4th you’ll probably talk about Michael Jackson’s death, the latest movie releases, and celebrities, etc. That’s fine. You have an unalienable right to the pursuit of happiness. I hope you’ll also take a few minutes to consider why you have that right. Think about why the Founding Fathers wrote words about the pursuit of happiness into the Declaration of Independence, and what the Declaration’s words mean to us today.
Make a pledge to read the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Federalist Papers. They’re all available free online, and all but the Federalist Papers are quick reading. Understand what these documents say, and why the Founders wrote this way. Think about what these words mean today and decide to agree or disagree with these documents; most of all, understand why you agree or disagree.
Our nation is currently struggling with major issues that matter to every single American, and because of our impact on the world, matter to almost every person on the planet. America needs well informed voters to participate in this struggle. It might one day matter to your unalienable right to the pursuit of happiness.
Our popular culture, music, movies, television, etc. all depend on our freedom. Protect our freedom by understanding why we have it and what we need to do to keep our freedom.
Have a happy and safe July 4th holiday.
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Here is an excellent resource on the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Federalist Papers, and more.
Also, please see my bookstore for more on U.S. history and politics.
{ 1 comment }
Three things:
1. Your link, at the end of the post, to the “excellent resource” is broken.
2. Please don’t forget the anti-federalist papers. One example of their importance: Without them, there’d be no bill of rights!
3. An interesting thing about those papers (for and against) is how nasty and partisan the people were, even then.