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The Undiscovered Country of Our Declarations

I wrote this five years ago but can’t find where I posted it. It still holds true today so why not post it here, now?

My message for today’s celebration of America’s Independence…

The dream of the United States of America has never aligned with the reality of the United Sates of America. How we imagine ourselves to be has never been who we actually are. Does this mean we should not keep dreaming and striving for those lofty goals? No. And if we were ever to achieve them, we should engage new, more lofty, ones. But, to deny the recognition of these self-evident truths actually undermines our intentions to realize the undiscovered country of our declarations.

For if we declare the job “done”; If we have reached that mountaintop; if freedom for all was truly achieved with the declaration of our intentions and the subsequent amendments to our constitution, then what now should we strive for?

The answer is this: the work towards freedom, justice, and equal rights shall never be done. Even if achieved it requires constant vigilance to maintain. So, as we celebrate what we have, knowing there are those with less, we must re-commit to those values and push further.

— Jul 4, 2021

Reaching and walking across the Mississippi Headwaters. I’ve now seen the very beginning and very end of the mighty Mississippi. Bucket list item achieved!

Me at the market for the headwaters of The Mississippi River.

Selfie of Beatrix and I in the middle of the Mississippi headwaters.

Picked both our cherry and serviceberry trees. We’ve managed to get about a third of what’s ready to be picked.

A split picture of cherries on the tree and two large bowls of cherries and serviceberries.

For the record, I don’t believe in management. I don’t believe one should have to manage people. I believe if you hire the right people, they don’t have to be managed — the work simply gets done. If you have people you have to manage, you should fire them and replace them with people you don’t.

An Important reminder at Hunter Gatherer 21C: We are never just ourselves.

We are ourselves plus the world we move through. A human being is not a sealed unit but a creature in constant exchange with its surroundings: light and dark, warmth and cold, soil underfoot, water, the company of others. Take the natural half of that exchange away and something in us quietly begins to fade.

It’s time to go outside and play.