Changing the Future, Inspired by the Past

I’ve not written a blog entry for a couple of weeks. That’s because I’ve been traveling recently. And while traveling, my family and I had the opportunity to visit Philadelphia Pennsylvania, the nation’s first capital.

I’ve always thought of Philly as a very tough, working man’s town. A place where sports and beer take precedence over most other pursuits. In fact, we found Philly to be very tourist friendly and welcoming. And of course, the cheese steaks were great.

A trip to Philadelphia is not complete without visiting the locations that inspired and led to our nation's founding. After a two-hour visit to the Independence National Historic Park Visitors Center, we were off to tour Independence Hall.

The visitor’s center does a great job of presenting the story of the nation’s birth via video and audio presentations as well as historic documentation. And while waiting in line to begin the tour of Independence Hall, I had time to reflect on the unlikely group of individuals that found themselves in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776 and the life paths that had brought them to that point.

Without going into biographical detail, it is safe to say that most of them would have rejected their identification as “founding father.” In fact, prior to Jefferson writing most of the Declaration in June of that year, the majority was still in favor of reconciliation with England.

So there I am, standing in the room where the Continental Congress met to first administrate the war for Independence, and then write the Constitution 13 years later. And it occurred to me how very like those men each of us is. 

Whether we’re involved with government at the school, municipal, state or even federal level; whether we actively participate or just yell at the newscasters as we watch or listen; whether we run for office or support or favorite candidates financially and otherwise, we are each like the men sitting in that room long ago.

We realize that we have a vested interest in how it all plays out and our willingness or unwillingness to participate at any level will determine what we end up with. One of my favorite Benjamin Franklin quotes is, “We’ve given you a republic, if you can keep it.”

I make no bones about the fact that I believe my battle is against those entrenched bureaucracies within local government and schools that seek to control their respective professions to the detriment of the folks footing the bill.

As I stood in that room, I realized that my willingness to fight the battles is as important as whom the winners and losers are. I could believe that my friends and neighbors would carry the fight, or I could continue to believe Franklin’s words, realizing that the keeping of what we’ve got is as important as how we got there in the first place.

So, if you’ve been sitting on the sidelines wondering how you can impact your community and help to fight for the values you believe in, don’t wait any longer. Don’t wait until you find the perfect cause or candidate, because you won’t. Jump in with both feet. Put your time and energy where your heart is. The right cause will find you if you’re willing to put yourself in the place to be found.

And check out Philly when you have a chance. It’s a great place to spend a few days.