This I Believe

I have lived only a short time and my experience is limited. The conclusions I am about to express have very little supporting evidence. The qualities and rules here, regarding humanity, have not so much been observed by me as extrapolated from what I know to be true of myself as a human being. Through a study of myself and the hearts and minds of great men I have devised a number of theorems:

Theorem #1- Any idea, system, rule, etc. is a work in progress.

Almost nothing is perfect the first time through, or the second, or the third, or the nth time (with the possible exception of a few mathematical concepts, math being the only truly perfect and universal thing of humanity’s devising (probability and statistics do not count)). In example, the Bill of Rights was a great idea that was probably thought up a lot sooner than it was executed. Everybody thinks that they should have undeniable rights that are protected, but it took more than six thousand years of human civilization to finally codify a set that was actually effective. Even this great idea, however, was not complete. In the ninth amendment, the creators of our Bill of Rights remind the people that it is not complete or perfect by stating that while the freedoms and rights granted are important, they are not necessarily the only rights a human being has.

Theorem #2- The only person who truly has your interests at heart is you.

Theorem #3- Necessarily, the only way to see your will done is to do something about it, hoping is not effective.

If you want something done right, do it your self. There is no free lunch. You have to look out for #1. Take your pick. I have more. The point is if you want something changed, you have to get up and do something about it. Do not trust the rest of the world to work itself out to your satisfaction. The rest of the world does not have your interests at heart. In Malcolm X’s speech, The Ballot or the Bullet, he tries to convince the African American people to go vote, to let their will carry through the Ballot. He knew that unless the black peoples of America banded together in their hope for a better life, and transformed that hope into a will that would carry to the highest seats of government, the oppression he raved about would continue.

Theorem #4- Despite #2, there are a number of interests that humans seem to have in common.

Qualifying Theorem #2, just because no one else has your specific interests at heart doesn’t mean that you don’t share an interest or goal with others. It is in order to protect these interests common to all men, that government is formed. FDR codified for of these freedoms quite well in his speech “The Four Freedoms.” In it he listed four of these common interests that he believed every government should endeavor to protect. These freedoms were: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear. The wish to express ones thoughts and worship as one pleases is universally present in all humanity. The second two, the right to live without fear of starving to death or being blown up by a foreign power, are interests universal to all living things. These four are examples of things that the people of the world, all people, will work and fight to protect.