In Pursuit Of My Sanity
In wondering where I picked up this spiritual belief that I have about the dignity of man, I went off on the internet and dug up a couple of historic documents: The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution.
While reading the Declaration of Independence, I beamed with pride … this was part of my belief system. But most high school students, and certainly any 1st year law student could tell you that the Declaration of Independence is little more than sentimental drivel. It is the Constitution that forms the basis of our rights and our laws.
There is nothing written in the Constitution which addresses the dignity of man, in fact, it could be looked upon as safeguarding us from the treacheries that powerful men and/or governments have been known to impose. There is no mention of a God, or a sacredness of human life. There are only safeguards against a state sponsored religion or denying a citizen the right to hold elected office based on religious tests.
Nor does the Constitution pretend to hold the whole of truth or wisdom. It has built in mechanisms for adjusting itself, rightly or wrongly. Nowhere (that I could find) was the word "unalienable" used, nor to my knowledge was this document foolishly carved in stone. It is a masterful, albeit somewhat sterile, document which attests to the truth of the depravities of man and of our will as a self-governed people to prevent these depravities from occurring.
The Constitution lets us believe whatever we want to believe, including (especially and most profoundly) the right to believe that the Constitution is incorrect. Therein lies its inherent beauty. Therein lies its inherent flaw. And well it should be beautiful. And well it should be flawed. We, humanity, are both beautiful and flawed.
And screaming unsaid in the quiet pages of our constitution is the need for education. It is the people who must see and know depravity. Ignorance is easily manipulated by the demagogue. There is no greater depravity than the toleration of ignorance.
I do not think that the colonists of old would have gone to war against the world's greatest military force without the emotional appeal of the Declaration Of Independence. If our founding fathers were distributing copies of the Constitution, no doubt the colonists would have yawned. Were our founders correct in indulging a bit of demagoguery? I guess it doesn't matter much at this point. They gave us this country and this constitution to manage.
And what of this dignity I went searching for? Did the founding fathers say it outright in the Constitution? No. Did they imply it? I think so. They believed in the people's ability to recognize right from wrong and to direct themselves accordingly. It is an acknowledgment of the good and evil in men and of our timeless struggle. It is a mechanism for good to prevail. It is a belief that good can prevail. It is a prayer said by, for, and to the people. It is a great responsibility.
And it is not the sole ground of a few judges in the Supreme Court. It is everyone's responsibility. It took an amendment to this inherently flawed document to bring an end to slavery. Perhaps it should have been obvious that slavery was evil. Perhaps it should have been obvious that blacks were human and not property. It wasn't obvious to many. Nor was slavery stricken down by the wisdom of a few judges interpreting the intent of the Constitution. It was changed by an exercise of the will of the people to say that slavery was depraved indifference to human life; that it was morally wrong.
I have stayed quiet for many years, afraid to voice my opinion on certain issues because I was told I was imposing my personal "religious" beliefs. I have been a fool … an educated fool. Imagine if the voice that brought down slavery was quieted in such a way.
The truth of the dignity of man? It seems it is only true if we make it so and freely express our indignation. Abortion is a woman's right to liberty? Hogwash. A fetus is not a human life? Hogwash. I will shout it from the mountain tops. Is abortion immoral? You bet it is. Do I need a God to define right and wrong? No way. I need to openly express my outrage and have confidence that others in our society will do the same. And to those of you who have said that abortion is "needed" because of a lack of education I will say that to create laws which accommodate and tolerate ignorance is a grave depravity.
Could I be wrong? Sure. But the greatest wrong I could commit is to be quiet about what I believe. It would be a wrong committed against myself and a wrong committed against the truest intent of our constitution. Let the full voice of the people be heard and have its way and let history be the judge of our society.
And if some day I should face a founding father, to be judged individually as to how I used his tools, it would not be the voice of my beliefs that uttered "guilty". Such a verdict could only rise from the stingy sound of the unspoken heart.
I would appreciate a little feedback … even if only to say "wacko ", or to tell me to stop sharing. At least I would know that somebody was reading this stuff.
Brian J. McMahon 797-5016
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