In Congress, July 4, 1776
The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America
When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
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 to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. –Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.
The Napkin Prophecy
Have you ever had one of those moments where an idea hits you at the strangest of moments? This happened to me recently when my family and I were enjoying breakfast at one of our favorite breakfast eateries. When our food arrived at the table I asked the waitress for extra napkins, and it hit me.
Does asking the server for more napkins increase the chance that you will need them? Or is it simply being prepared in the event that they are needed? At what point does precaution become self-fulfilling prophecy?
At first, I dismissed the idea as the silly ramblings of a man who hasn’t had his coffee yet, but it stuck with me. I began to wonder if having a safety net would increase the likelihood of risky behavior or carelessness rather than simply provide a level of protection. Does the safety net make the trapeze artist more bold, more careless? Does the seat-belt or airbag act as enablers to the lead foot? What about government spending and the lack of accountability?
Keeping sight of what is important
I recently experienced a rather painful injury to my left eye. My 7 month old managed to poke me in the eye while we were playing, and I ended up with a 5mm corneal abrasion. While not an incredibly serious injury, a 5mm corneal abrasion (dead center on the eye, mind you) is very painful and it drastically reduces your ability to see. It hurts to blink, it hurts not to blink. You end up in a constant state of trying to find the least painful direction to look, and the darkest corner of the room in which to do it. Due to the lateness of the hour, I had to wait until morning to see an eye doctor and by the time morning finally came, I was in agony. To put it bluntly, the experience totally sucked.
I must admit that I did find some value in the experience, however. When nearly every aspect of your daily life relies on your ability to see relatively clearly, losing that ability stops you in your tracks. This might sound a bit obvious, but it is difficult to truly understand it without experiencing it first hand. You find yourself relying on your other senses to help you get through the day. Feeling your way around, listening for the dog so you don’t step on the poor thing, hoping you remember where the coffee table is. You end up relying more and more on your other senses to get you through the day, especially the sense of touch.
It was the act of feeling my way down the hall to find the bathroom that gave me the idea behind this article. During our normal day to day lives, many of us simply go about our routines. We have goals that we seek to achieve, and most of us approach our goals with familiar and obvious methodology. This may get the job done, but could we be missing something? I definitely think so.
Experimenting with a new Wordpress theme
I’ve decided it is time to change the look of “The Burnman Experience” yet again. I wasn’t entirely happy with the old design and since I’ve decided to start blogging much more regularly, I figured it was about time to make the switch. So far, I am pleased with the new theme and will be customizing it over the next few days.
What do you think of the new theme?