Ole Ben Got It Right!

[Barry Rice]

It was 1776 and Benjamin Franklin was out for a leisurely dinner with friends. Their discussion had turned to the newly-signed Declaration of Independence when the town drunk, who had been overhearing the conversation, stumbled over to their table.

The drunken man shouted at Franklin, “Aw, them words don’t mean nothin’! Where’s all the happiness that Declaration thing guarantees?”

Frustrated with the interruption, Ole Ben replied simply, “My friend, the Declaration of Independence ONLY guarantees you the right to the pursuit of happiness. You have to catch it yourself.”

Think about this. Over 200 years ago when early American settlers began drawing up a Constitution to govern themselves, the pursuit of happiness referred to the involvement of each and every citizen to determine their own laws of living. Having the Constitution also represented the joy each individual felt in holding their fate in their own hands.

That means that the rugged individualism of those early settlers guaranteed the freedoms and opportunities we still have access to today to achieve our own fate. Whether we take advantage of our freedoms and opportunities - with a heavy dose of rugged individualism - is a personal choice – yours and mine.

With that in mind, let me ask. Without rugged individualism and reaching for the greatness within, could you be destined to be waiting for your unplanned tomorrows to accumulate and become a long list of wasted yesterdays, and maybe even a waste of your living experience?

Think about it.

The basic truth of having the freedom to make decisions and the responsibility that you are charged with to choose your future, and to be joyful in the process, is still true today! You still have to “catch” your happiness and life’s course yourself.

[annalaurabrown]

What a great post. Ben was right, it is up to each one of us to discover and embrace our own happiness and goals.