The "Pursuit" Of Happiness -- Not The Guarantee Of It
Good Michael Godwin column in the New York Post about the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence, "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.":
That glorious ode to freedom contains a little-noticed limit, one that carries a special meaning for our fractured nation today. The Founders, we can say safely, would have zero tolerance for the soul-sapping entitlement culture of modern America....They were wise men whose vision was shaped by knowledge of history and the human condition, and that wisdom led them to put "Happiness" in a different category. America would make no guarantee beyond the opportunity to attain it -- "the pursuit of Happiness."
When it comes to results, you are on your own. Theirs was the original Tough Love.
...But in the frenzy of our entitlement mania, where happiness is viewed as an "unalienable Right," we are losing the freedom to fail. That loss is a major factor in America's decline. Much of the unprecedented growth of government aims to protect people from the consequences of failure and the vagaries of life.
...Never mind that you lived with the old values, that you sacrificed and worked and saved for what you have. Now you must pay and pay again for those who didn't. Oh, and shut up about it, too.
Has no-one read "Vanity Fair"? The whole idea of living on credit way above one's means is hardly a new one. Wilde's plays makes reference to this, too.
The entitlement culture isn't new.
NicoleK at July 5, 2011 6:45 AM
"Loosing the freedom to fail" ? We are most certainly not. We are loosing the consequences of failure.
Cat at July 5, 2011 6:51 AM
The "freedom to fail" is a phrase coined to mean that people can learn from their mistakes; that these mistakes are therefore valuable and perhaps the true source of innovation. It implies that the consequences of failure must be realized so that one can benefit from it. Failure then becomes a right which needs to be protected.
AllenS at July 5, 2011 7:42 AM
It's also why they chose not to include this phrase in the CONSTITUTION. There they replaced pursuit of happiness with property.
Just sayin'.
Feebie at July 5, 2011 9:42 AM
"Failure then becomes a right which needs to be protected."
I HATE, HATE, HATE, when people start fucking with karma. ;)
Feebie at July 5, 2011 9:43 AM
In the vernacular of the Founding Fathers, the "pursuit of happiness" was the process of improving your situation (learning new skills, finding a better job, or other self-improvement).
TX CHL Instructor at July 5, 2011 9:59 AM
Rather than "failure is not an option," people would be better off keeping in mind that "failure is always an option."
lsomber at July 5, 2011 11:23 AM
Pretty spot on. He's right about the entitlement culture. If you challenge it in some way, shrieking histrionics erupt on cue.
Tell someone whose head is buried in the bowels of entitlement that there are consequences to their actions and if they want certain benefits in life they have to meet certain requirements, and you'll get projectile sanctimony and moralistic outrage vomited all over you.
Primateus at July 5, 2011 2:51 PM
One must have some sort of occupation nowadays. If I hadn't my debts I shouldn't have anything to think about.
NicoleK at July 6, 2011 2:25 AM
I'd like to point out if you read "Walden", Thoreau talks at length about the problem of debt. Let's not forget Wickham from "Pride and Prejudice".
Here are some quotes about debt:
http://www.allgreatquotes.com/debt_quotes.shtml
Note that many authors are from hundreds of years ago. There's even a quote from Seneca.
The whole, "Well in MY day NOBODY expected something for nothing" simply isn't true. Hard work and saving aren't "old" values, any more than debt is. They're just BETTER values.
The entitlement culture is very, very old. It ain't new.
NicoleK at July 6, 2011 2:29 AM
Leave a comment