Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness

"July 4, 1776. When our Declaration of Independence was signed loyal Americans were of one mind to Protect Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."
American WW-II Poster repeating these lines.

More than a year after the American Revolutionary War, the second Continental Congress, on 2nd July 1776, unanimously approved for the creation of an independent United States of America; independent of the Great Britain. The congressional committee selected Thomas Jefferson (later to become the 2nd Vice President and the 3rd President of the United States) to author the Declaration of Independence, as an explanation of the reasons for the declaration by the Congress.

The Declaration of Independence of the 13 states of the United States of America was formally adopted by the Congress on 4th July 1776; the day on which America celebrates its independence.

Jefferson was an philosopher, a statesman, and a lawyer. He crafted the Declaration in an excellent manner:

The second section of the Declaration read:

“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”

Jefferson knew that a person can never be truly happy; greed usually steps in. He therefore wrote β€œpursuit of Happiness” instead of β€œRight to be Happy”.

Well, a side thought: If the nation on its independence declared that all men are created equal, then why did it take a century and a civil war for the abolition of slavery and granting equal status and the rights of like, liberty and pursuit of happiness?

Happiness is a choice, really it is! Like Abraham Lincoln said

β€œPeople are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be”

Live happy; live long!
Live happy; live long!

The reason: humans are seldom satisfied with what they have, people want more! That ‘want’ is whatΒ makesΒ people feel deprived and unhappy!

Mohandas Karamchand GandhiΒ better known as Mahatma Gandhi, the father of IndiaΒ said:

β€œEarth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need, but not every man’s greed”

So be satisfied with and thankful for what you have, be happy and live happy, for life is short, live it now, live it to the fullest! πŸ™‚


Comments

29 responses to “Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness”

  1. Nice !

  2. Hafsa Imran Avatar
    Hafsa Imran

    Very true and very well written!! πŸ™‚

    1. Thank you so much πŸ™‚

  3. Hafsa Imran Avatar
    Hafsa Imran

    You’re welcome πŸ™‚

  4. Dr. Naveen Aman Avatar
    Dr. Naveen Aman

    Very informative and nicely written
    Keep it up

    1. Thank you so much πŸ™‚

  5. Farhan Khan Avatar
    Farhan Khan

    Excellent ideas you got there Ahmer, really motivating!

    1. Thank you Farhan πŸ™‚ I really appreciate your views.

  6. Well written. πŸ™‚
    Muah! :*

    1. Thanks Kashir; I’m not Yumna though that you’re giving me those kisses. Save ’em for her :p

  7. Really inspiring, true and very well written! πŸ™‚

    1. Thank you for the compliments Mahrukh πŸ™‚

  8. Yusra Imran Avatar
    Yusra Imran

    tht is soo true.. gr8 read n article..

    1. Thank you Yusra, for the feedback πŸ™‚

  9. Amin Khan Avatar
    Amin Khan

    really deep and meaningful , splendid work , thumbs up man !

    1. Thank you Amin πŸ™‚

  10. Zahra Amir Avatar
    Zahra Amir

    Very well written and informative as well πŸ™‚

    1. Thanks Zahra πŸ™‚

  11. Daniyal Musharraf Avatar
    Daniyal Musharraf

    Adding to that, you should know that American citizens value the lives of their fellow citizens as more expensive than the entire world. Thousands die daily in Africa, Middle East (due to American invasion and wars) and many other locations. These “terrorists” and “threats” include young children and women, who are brutally killed under the excuse that they prove to be a threat to “national security”. Whereas when a handful of school students die in USA then it is a tragedy.
    Quoting Joseph Stalin’s words:

    “When one person dies, it’s a tragedy, but when a million people die, it’s a statistic.” -Joseph Stalin.

    By the way, this article was small as compared to your previous articles.

    1. The crime rate in the United States speaks volumes about its citizens valuing the lives of their fellow citizens. I totally agree with you regarding the wars the US is fighting in the Middle East; however, we know that around two dozen people die an unnatural death in our city, at the hands of terrorists and target killers. That too, unfortunately has become a statistic (see my recent article Happy News: Once in a Blue Moon for more on this). The reason why the deaths on a few in the US are a tragedy but the deaths of dozens daily in Pakistan is a statistic, is that the Americans DO NOT accept these unfortunate incidents, but we Pakistanis have accepted this as a norm, we are immune to such tragic news, and ironically, we do not regard it as tragic ourselves! Have we ever risen against these waves of terrorist activities, stood up and said ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!? I totally agree with your comment above, but before we point a finger at a foreign nation, we must first deal with the haunting situation just outside our door!

    2. Oh, about the article being small, I wrote that on Saturday, before going to the school, so was in a bit of a hurry (should you not know this: the A Levels Science students do have regular classes/practicals on Saturdays; its a regular day for us, though starts at 8:30), I’m sure the next one (Happy News: Once in a Blue Moon) is long enough, what do you say?

  12. Daniyal Musharraf Avatar
    Daniyal Musharraf

    1) Currently, we are discussing about the morale of the US government towards the rest of the world. The question that rises in my mind is that why is there racial discrimination and a bit of a feel of supremacy over the rest of the world, while the US constitution clearly states that everyone must be granted equal rights. Just recently, one US congressman mentioned in his speech that all illegal immigrants should leave the country, immediately. But tell me is the government of the “Global Leader(USA)” the actual American natives. According to their policies and stances, the Red Indians should be the leaders of America. Right?? USA is a country where there are drastic paradigm shifts, and all the world must agree to them. All that worries them is their own life and property. The aftermath and the consequences of their actions are none of their problems. Isn’t it so? What happened to the world being a global village?

    2) As for your second reply, you could’ve added more information to this article after you cam back from school and NO the next article (Happy News: Once in a Blue Moon) is not as long. Still missing some points and the topic was the one I was about to write on my own blog. I started it but just wrote -the introductory paragraphs. Ahmer Jamil Khan = Nerdy and a techno-genious kleptomaniac. πŸ˜›

    1. Firstly, the Constitution of the United States refers to the United States of America, not the entire world. All the rights granted there in are applicable to US citizens, wherever in the world they may be, and on any other person for the time being in the United States.
      Well you see, all US citizens have either been legally accepted into the United States or were born there, others are staying on a Visa or a residency permit from the government. Illegal immigrants refer to those who are staying in the US without a citizenship or residency permit. What you’re saying is, in the context of Pakistan, more like this: just because quite a large number of Pakistanis are immigrants from India, so all Indians have a right to be in Pakistan. No that’s never going to be allowed by our government, would it be? πŸ™‚

      Secondly, I try to keep things short and sweet πŸ™‚ Readers complain if they find it too long and loose interest πŸ™‚ I’m sure you wouldn’t like to hear long speeches in the morning assembly at school, would you? You started it but never finished, I on the other hand, completed my article independently; no connection to anyone else’s work of any kind, that’s neither nerdy not kleptomaniac; it is proudly my original, copyright protected work (see the status of copyrights on my works) πŸ™‚

      1. Daniyal Musharraf Avatar
        Daniyal Musharraf

        You haven’t read the whole reply thoroughly. You just focused on a little point. Secondly, I do like to hear long assembly speeches. And thirdly, you are nerdy and a kleptomaniac as well(although you beg to differ). And finally, one of the best replies made in this world ever :- (dada dadadadada dada)
        Grammar Nazi: Lose* Heil FΓΌhrer!

        1. First of all, oh yes I did read the whole comment and gave a sentence wise reply. Secondly, long speeches, well I’m sure that depends on the speaker you’re listening to; you might never wish to hear a nonsense speaker speak for an hour on something you’re least interested in (we haven’t had such a speaker yet, but who can predict the future?). Thirdly, you have a right to believe, but do I care about your belief? (pun intended). Fourthly, your ‘best reply’ make no sense! πŸ˜› πŸ™‚

  13. Love This Article ! πŸ˜€ Best πŸ˜€

    1. Thanks a lot! πŸ™‚ I’m very pleased you loved it! πŸ™‚

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