One of the pivotal moments in world history was an event that still reverberates \u2013 that inspired many afterward and made a promise, the fulfillment of which is still unfolding:\u00a0 the American Revolution, when a band of colonists rejected monarchical rule and set out to fashion a republic. It was a bold undertaking,\u00a0 the consequences of which could hardly be foreseen at the time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was, to say the least, an imperfect attempt, since the union that emerged from it allowed the horror of slavery to continue, engaged in the theft of land from and the slaughter of native peoples, relegated women to a second class status and enabled the wealthy to disproportionately enrich themselves at the expense of those without wealth. Yet it set in motion a process by which many have sought the liberty and basic rights that have since been assumed are due all human beings.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The focus on freedom \u2013 on the ability of individuals to choose their destiny with as little interference as possible \u2013 in some ways obscured a more fundamental point. While the notion that no one should be denied their reasonable right to obtain what they seek, whether by any other individual, group or the government, there are basic limits to that freedom which make the whole question much more complicated than simply declaring this to be the sole consideration of human interactions.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact is that we must acknowledge the rights of others as we assert our own. We must take care not to trample upon the dreams and hopes of those around us in the pursuit of that which we desire. Unfortunately, this proviso has been pushed aside by those whose own strong inclinations blind them to the needs of their fellow human beings. This can have two effects \u2013 conflict between those who try to attain more than what is reasonable for them to want or expect and the oppression of those who can\u2019t or won\u2019t fight back. In either case, society suffers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The America War of Independence set a standard of emancipation, and later, with the adoption of the Bill of Rights and other protective amendments of the US constitution, the freedom assured to all was balanced against the abridgement of that freedom by those seeking more than their share. It\u2019s been a difficult struggle in which the powerful have often held the upper hand. It\u2019s unbalanced power, in fact, that skews the process — arguably the greatest threat to freedom, whether exercised by a government or private individuals. How can this problem can be resolved?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most effective way to guarantee freedom is to adjust the prevailing attitudes of those who seek more and more power regardless of the consequences \u2013 who through their pursuit of power deprive others of the essential guarantee of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Unfortunately, the thirst for power is a strong force, emerging out of a complex of human emotions, at the center of which, I believe, is fear \u2013 fear of others acting in the same over-reaching way and depriving those who fail to act aggressively of their fair share. Overcoming this fear is not an easy task. It starts with building trust \u2013 with recognizing that we are not going it alone in the world but are accompanied by many others who are facing the same challenges. Instead of seeing life as an individual struggle, we should learn to view it as a challenge to be shared.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowing that I have others upon whom I can depend should things go wrong for me takes a great burden off of me and removes a fundamental anxiety that might overwhelm me when faced with a situation I can\u2019t handle by myself. Likewise, I need to acknowledge that it\u2019s important for me to be there for others \u2013 that they know they can depend on me. And I don\u2019t just do this to establish some kind of contract of reciprocity \u2013 I do it because I genuinely care and wish those around me a happy and healthy life.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important, then, to emphasize this interdependence and the way our appreciation and practice of it can make all of our lives better. It can bring to us a sense of satisfaction that will sustain us through our difficulties. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than issue a call to war to attain the liberty and justice denied to us I would issue a call to peace \u2013 a proactive peace, built upon interdependence, compassion and love. This may sound na\u00efve to some who believe that only force and compulsion will win what are our basic rights, but to view this process in terms of a struggle between classes \u2013 or of a war of all against all \u2013 will only leave us in a state of perpetual conflict. The war must end if we are to save ourselves and our planet.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the number of people who embrace interdependence grows, the numbers of those who see life in terms of competition and aggression will lessen. This is realistically the only hope we have. Do your part. Join the peace. Recognize that we are all inextricably linked together and celebrate that fact. We must commit ourselves to living in this way \u2013 once we do, we begin to make it happen. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the pivotal moments in world history was an event that still reverberates \u2013 that inspired many afterward and made a promise, the fulfillment of which is still unfolding:\u00a0 the American Revolution, when a band of colonists rejected monarchical rule and set out to fashion a republic. It was a bold undertaking,\u00a0 the consequences […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/considerthealternative.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/considerthealternative.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/considerthealternative.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/considerthealternative.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/considerthealternative.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/considerthealternative.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42,"href":"https:\/\/considerthealternative.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33\/revisions\/42"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/considerthealternative.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/considerthealternative.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/considerthealternative.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}