We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
The American Declaration of Independence says that all men are created equal. However, despite the brilliance of that phrase, we now understand that our founding fathers’ definition of “men” was too narrowly defined. Slaves had no rights. Women had fewer rights than men. The poor have always had fewer rights than the wealthy. Despite the progress made to balance these inequities, the present administration has shown that the embers of division and inequity can be stoked into a flame with only the smallest encouragement.
While the Declaration of Independence is not something we consider changing, I propose we amend our understanding of this phrase to read, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all humans are created equal.” Let us not limit our interpretation to gender, race, status, or even our nation. Should we not treat each human on this planet with the same respect as any other, as endowed by their creator with the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? Or should Europeans not be entitled to happiness, for example? What a ludicrous thought!
The only solution to racism, elitism, sexism, and all the other horrible -ism’s that divide America as a nation and divide us from the world is to stand firm on the belief that every human is equal to every other human in terms of rights and respect. No one is better than the other. Humans deserve equal treatment under the law, equal pay for equivalent work, and equal respect in the community.
We the Humans should accept nothing less.
