Over
the past couple years I’ve grown a strong admiration for the works and personal
characteristics of Thomas Jefferson. Among my list of historic idols, he
parallels Robert Kennedy and Mahatma Gandhi in terms of foresight and
leadership, as well as willingness to work toward the common good.
My
initial plan for this blog post was to evaluate three human characteristics
that I believe are dangerous, if not moderated.
After coming up with the list (vengeance, entitlement, and hypocrisy), I
chose to research opinions from experts on each of the subjects. However, when I did so, I came to realize
that one opinionated historical figure by the name of Thomas Jefferson took a
more optimistic view, instead focusing on the traits that make people more
tolerant and open. Without further
adieu, here are some of the most insightful quotes from the man, himself:
“The Democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those
who are willing to work and give to those who would not.”
Too
often we interpret the above under the assumption that rich is synonymous with
hard work. It is not. The biggest entitlement this country will
ever know is the idea of inheritance. It
strikes me as ironic when the son or daughter of wealthy parents scorn the
welfare system, while complaining that income and inheritance taxes are too
high. Ignorance argues that when
Jefferson refers to the idea of taking from those who work to give to those who
don’t, he is describing socialism. Quite
to the contrary, he is referring to the existence of a society fueled by
meritocracy, whereby every child born in this great Union is afforded the same
opportunity as any other, and thus the success they breed is theirs, and theirs
exclusively. Too much and too long, we
have marginalized those of our own race, the human race, because of the
families they were born into, the ghettos they grew up in, and the pigments of
their skin that they inherited at conception.
Social justice must serve as the great equalizer to ensure that every
child has the opportunities afforded to his fellow American kin. What that looks like at the surface level is
ensuring that every child is sated, comfortable, safe, happy, and educated. Until we vow to provide these rights to children
born in our homeland, we are depriving our people of liberty and equality.
“I never told my own religion nor scrutinized that of another. I
never attempted to make a convert, nor wished to change another's creed. I am
satisfied that yours must be an excellent religion to have produced a life of
such exemplary virtue and correctness. For it is in our lives, and not from our
words, that our religion must be judged.”
I
have never observed a cause that drives more men and women to hypocrisy than
that of religion. If every religious
follower served as a disciple to their religion in the manner that their holy
book lays out, we would never have another war in this world. Unfortunately, self-proclaimed devotees have
twisted the idealistic principles of the leaders they view as holy to the point
where their actions and opinions completely contradict those that their
religion preaches.
The
idea that religion is a fixed and stale set of principals is complacent, and
furthermore dangerous. It is not the
literal that we should take out of biblical lessons, such as the race, origin,
and gender of characters, but rather the overarching and figurative
language. The core of our religions are
all similar, yet rather than looking at the messages that unite us, we choose
to argue about which god is the “right one.”
Through
deep reflection, I’ve developed the belief that religion, as a whole, does more
to divide than unite. While I respect
the principals of my own religion, and those of others, I couldn’t care less
about the technicalities. Whether Jesus
was resurrected or not, doesn’t change my moral code, the manner in which I
treat others, or the faith I have in humanity.
If religion can’t serve to instill ethics and kindness into followers,
then what purpose does it truly serve?
