This has been a longer Independence Day celebration than usual. In our community here in Tooele, Utah, the city started events on Saturday, the third. Then on Sunday, the fourth, many people celebrated with personal fireworks. And today Monday, the fifth, is “Independence Day, Observed,” a federal holiday that releases many people from their work for the day. This extended holiday gives plenty of opportunity to celebrate the independence of our nation, the victory that freed us from the bonds and constraints imposed by a foreign nation across the ocean. It’s also a time that Americans often think a little more deeply about their patriotic heritage, including founding documents and the people who created them. We may also consider more fully the meaning of various commitments that we take on as U.S. citizens.
For Lightward Bound, these patriotic artifacts (documents, history, etc.) are viewed in relation to light, both their effects on light in our nation and how light influences our actions in relation to such artifacts. An important place to start looking is the pledge that Americans usually learn from the time they begin attending school. The Pledge of Allegiance is a source of light for our nation.
During the last few years of my time as a substitute teacher in Tooele County School District, after we would say the Pledge of Allegiance, I would ask the students what “allegiance” means. In most cases, they didn’t really know. Some would relate it to various patriotic subjects, but very few ever suggested that the Pledge was an obligation we are taking on to be loyal to our country. So I would explain it to them so that they could understand what they were promising each time they recited the Pledge. I would tell them that when they pledge their allegiance to our flag and nation, they are promising to be loyal to our nation and do things that are good for it and not do things that would hurt our nation. Being loyal to our nation and its people is light that strengthens our nation. And it’s something we need to instill in our children.
Additionally, when we recite “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,” it sounds like it is describing what our nation is. But it is we, the people of the nation, who make it possible for these things to actually exist in the United States–they don’t happen all on their own. So by implication, these are duties and responsibilities we must take on for our Pledge to really mean anything. We must seek the light of our Creator in order to be a “nation under God.” We must strive for the light of unity if we are going to be an indivisible nation. And how will America offer liberty and justice for everyone, unless every citizen believes in these enough that they personally offer the light of liberty and justice to those around them? It can’t only be about seeking these for ourselves, but we must also personally use our influence or other resources to provide these to others, regardless who they are.
But the Pledge doesn’t stop there. That republic we pledge to support hinges on our Constitution, so it would seem allegiance or loyalty to our Constitution is also implied. The preamble to the Constitution describes what its intended purpose was. Please read it again for a memory refresh. Its purposes involve light. They are good things for all people in our nation. We must be careful not to interpret or twist the meaning of any part of the Constitution in ways that are detrimental to the cause and purpose of the Constitution. We should support it in ways that truly can strengthen those aims, rather than twisting it to serve our own purposes that were never intended. If we oppose principles of light within the Constitution, we are helping bring darkness into our nation. Many aspects of the Constitution brought new light into our country, but I want to focus here on the First Amendment. That amendment says,
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
The first of the rights named in the Bill of Rights helps enable the light of religion to flourish. Too often it seems that some people take measures to oppose religion in our country, sometimes by attempting to twist the meaning of the First Amendment. Fighting darkness that may exist in religious groups is important, but fighting against religion altogether will bring darkness as it snubs out the light of faith. We must support and defend our freedom to pursue the light we find in genuine religious and spiritual circles. But we also must guard against the darkness of malpractice of religion.
The next right enumerated in the Bill of Rights, within the First Amendment, is the right to speak and publish materials without government censorship. However, people tend to claim this right to defend speech and published works that are repugnant or detrimental. Sometimes they may be able to defend that right in courts, but seeking light is a higher objective than just satisfying legal minimums. As people sometimes say, what’s legal isn’t always right. In terms of light, the highest purposes for speech and publishing are to uplift, inspire, make truth known, and coordinate human activities. When we produce and defend spoken or published things that are vile and offensive, we are bringing darkness. When our speech or publications promote things that are harmful or morally wrong, we are replacing some of the light in our nation with darkness. If our works that are protected by the Constitution oppose the purpose of the Constitution, for example by disrupting domestic tranquility or increasing injustice, we are promoting darkness.
Finally, the First Amendment ensures that the government allows us to gather together peacefully to ask the government for changes and improvements. I think a key here is gathering PEACEFULLY. Violent and disruptive protests bring more darkness than any light they might say they are pursuing. All government and societal changes must be done following principles of light; otherwise the outcome will bring darkness again.
One last thing I want to bring up is this concept of liberty. We must not view liberty, freedom, or rights as a license to do all things that might come into our minds. I am sure that that sort of view will eventually lead to chaos, anarchy, and destruction.
As we attempt to bring more light into our culture and nation, we need to think of liberty more like this:
- American liberty includes the freedom our nation has to run its own affairs, not dominated or controlled by another nation
- Similarly, individuals are free to govern their own affairs without interference from the government
- Liberty means freedom to choose where we live, what work we do, what schooling to pursue, our religion
- Liberty includes the right to speak up about problems, and tell the whole truth without fear of government retaliation
- Ideally, it would mean that the government won’t control or check up on us for any of these
But as we demand these freedoms and rights for ourselves, it requires taking on responsibilities to others. We bear responsibility to each other for how we use our liberty. We must be willing and make appropriate efforts to ensure others have the same rights we expect. It also means we don’t intentionally use our liberty and rights to reduce liberty and light for other people. For example, freedom of speech isn’t a right to provoke without cause. We’re not justified if we use our words to offend just to offend or for some personal gratification. Likewise, our liberty does not justify moving into a neighborhood with the intent to harass a particular person or group that lives there.
Living in light means people are more important than our prejudices and preferences or our wishes and whims.
Light puts people first!