I don’t believe “all men are created equal” is a literal or technical or semantical phrase. I believe it is an existential phrase. I don’t believe it was meant to be broken down, piece by piece and studied under a microscope or as a field experiment. Instead, it was to be taken as a whole, as an idea, as something you can’t measure or even see. It is a concept. It’s a whole new evolutionary concept designed to combat mankind’s most divisive trait. Our most destructive trait – tribalism. Something different? Fight or flight. This is in our DNA. Hand a socially insulated baby to a stranger. We don’t have to teach that baby to cry and/or try to get away. It’s completely caveman natural to fear things that are different, for our very survival. Something different? Yes, it may want to eat you. But learning to recognize and be in control of our basic caveman instincts has always been at the heart of the civilization of mankind. It has always been at the core of man’s evolution. Our fear told us to run. We overcame that fear and defended ourselves and our loved ones. We overcame that instinct of basic survival to go back for our wounded, our young, our old and sick, instead of leaving them to the wolves or vultures. It would have been safer in the short run if we had just stayed with our caveman instincts and let the weak fall by the wayside. I would have been OK. My fire is warm. I would have enough food now. I’m not hurt. That’s all that matters. Right now. This moment.
I don’t know what day it was when we decided to recognize and control our basic instincts, but on that day – humanity was born. And recognizing and controlling our pre-historic traits is the very genesis of civilization.
Now, this caveman trait of tribalism, which divides all into “us” and “them”. Pitting “our way” against “your way” and swinging sticks at each other to prove who is “better” since the dawn of man is still alive and well.
I believe our Founding Fathers knew, someday, we would have bigger sticks, and if we did not evolve to a world of respecting, hopefully even embracing, the differences in others, if we did not learn to respect all people as one, respect life itself and all people as equally important. We will blow ourselves to smithereens. (Which I believe is the human “race”. It’s an actual race to see if we can reach this evolutionary stage before we can destroy ourselves.) They knew that this is a matter of the global, maybe even the universal, survival of mankind. Which is why they wrote it as the first statement in our first document on the birth of this new nation. They thought it as that important.
Our founders studied the centuries, even eons of history illuminating this basic trait of tribalism. They saw the “ancient lands”. They saw the endless wars, the constant conflict, the peace, never lasting. They saw the kings, the rulers and pharaohs, the high priests of the old world. They saw the persecution of the oppressed by the powerful, most often using tribalism as their justification. Stoking fear and hatred to achieve their conquest. “They are bad.” “We are good.” “They are different.” “We are normal.” “They want to destroy us” “We only want peace.” And the other side is saying the same thing to their minions. Over and over again, building on the hate and fear, generation after generation for thousands of years. This itself the very reason most Americans fled the old world in the first place. To free themselves from this endless cycle.
Now our founders saw the chance to try something completely new, a chance for a new world. The chance for a new chapter in mankind’s evolution. A land where we have not been hating and fearing each other for thousands of years, at least, lessening our vengeance trait. A land with no king, with no high priest. A land where all are born with equal rights. For the first time in history, every individual has unalienable rights. This was the goal – not the reality yet, but the birth of a new nation. A new concept. A new world. Conceived in Liberty and dedicated to this proposition.
This is the great American experiment. Can mankind do this? Can we indeed, rise above the shallow view of a person’s outside, which we have little or no control of? Can we rise above our petty superiority or inferiority complexes to a deeper level of thinking – to a person’s character? Can we control our caveman instincts once again? Recognize and control this fear that is tribalism? “Something different is bad! Crush, kill, destroy!!
All of our ancestors left that behind in the old world to step on these shores and breathe free. A new world, a truly different world. We all come from someplace different. * We are all born equal. A rebirth for all and mankind.
Now we’re just going to throw all of that away because we’re scared? Because we’re afraid? Our Founding Principle? The sacrifices of millions before us tossed out like yesterday’s salad? Throw it away because the Muslims are gunning for us? Throw it away because the Mexicans are trying to take over? Hey, what are those Black folks up to? I thought we were “the home of the brave”. That doesn’t sound brave at all. Maybe just the opposite.
It’s also the lazy way. “Let’s group them all into one” is a lot easier than trying to go through every individual, one-by-one, case-by-case, person after person, through all of these turnstiles, day after day. How do you even do that? It is impossible. Well, really, really hard for sure. And even then, some could slip through. Now I’m afraid. I feel a caveman coming on!
Our Founders didn’t say, “Hey, we have an easier way.” “Oh no, this won’t cost you a thing.” Grownups know that doing the right thing or the thing right is always harder. It always costs more. It usually involves sacrifice ever since we braved the wolves to bring back our wounded. Our Founders knew it is harder to not pre-judge. You do put yourselves and others safety and security at risk. There is absolutely no denying that. But I’ve gotten used to it. I was born and raised American. It’s a “given” to me. This is what we do in the new world. We live with this sacrifice and are better for it. We strive to achieve our main goal – the freedom that is “all men are created equal”. Meant to embolden us all. Meant to humble us all. To teach us to respect others and to demand respect from others. And if your unalienable Rights are being denied, all of our Rights are being denied.
Our Founding Principle is our first line of defense. Holding true to this principle actually is our national security. If we are in the trenches and you drop your principles whenever you’re afraid – then, you cannot be trusted, then, you are not respected. Others can loath you. When our allies know we hold true to this Principle, when they know we will not run away when we’re afraid, that itself, is our National Security. Our standing on our Founding Principle – even more essential when we’re afraid, is what, above all, helps to keep us safe in this world. When we absolutely stand for this Principle, we will always – to all people – be the “good guy.” That dedication to this Principle bestows trust. We will have your back. Even if I’m afraid.
Most people of good conscience know the importance of trust. To many, a person’s honor is everything. If I can’t trust you, your words mean very little. If I cannot trust you, I cannot help you. You might be doing this to harm me to just take care of yourself. And, if you won’t stand for this Principle – your very Founding Principle, then how can I trust you at all? How can I put faith in any of your principles after that? Your word is gone. Our exceptionalism will be gone. You will abandon me in the trenches.
And we and the world will revert to the ways of the “ancient lands”. The weak will, again, fall by the wayside. And we will, again, sit by the warm fire, “I’m OK. I have more food now. I’m not hurt. That’s what matters now, right now. This moment.
Mankind’s evolution is imperative for our survival. Our Founding Principle is the true “giant leap for mankind” in that evolution. Judging each person as an individual? Maybe not even judging at all? It would make us less safe right now in the moment. That would be really hard. That would take a whole new way of thinking. That would take a whole new concept. That would take a whole new world.
Our fears are real. Acknowledge this. We know we’re not expected to turn a blind eye. Recognize fear, yes, but we can control it. Grownups do not let fear and emotion rule. I have a fear of heights. Yet I climb trees with chainsaws to help earn a living for my family. That fear makes my eyes wide, makes my respirations increase, causes me to check and double-check my safety, and as of this writing, after thirty years, thanks partly to this fear and control of it, plus, admittedly, a little luck, I still have all my fingers and toes. Fear can make us more safe. Don’t let it make us run away and leave the rest for the wolves and vultures. We are better than that. America is better than that. Mankind is better than that.
Our Founding Principle is also our last line of defense. It’s big enough for all of us to get behind. Rather – we can all stand tall on it as our foundation. Let the world know that we are not the poster boy for greed, materialism, and selfish ambitions. That our Essence, instead, is our Founding Principle and that this is our unbreachable wall that all of us stand behind, and all who are created equal are welcome to stand with us. It won’t be literally, or technically, or semantically. It will be on a new, revolutionary, a new evolutionary level. The existential – beyond our eyes.
*Native Americans – truly forgive me. The asterisk for you should permeate all.