Classifying the pursuit of happiness is, at least for those of us in Western society (commingled as we are with the vulgar preoccupations of commerce and retail) frequently confused with making money only. Of late, the allegedly constitutional entitlement has been asserted beyond this token boundary and interpreted by some (specifically Trump supporters) as the legal basis for civil war and insurrection against the current American government as though it were responsible for the economic failure precipitated during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is however an argument which by any characterization or enhancement is no more persuasive than “Love thy neighbour”.

Love Thy Neighbour refers to the Biblical phrase “thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” from the Book of Leviticus 19:18 in the Hebrew Bible about the ethic of reciprocity known as the Golden Rule or the Great Commandment.

The pursuit of happiness (like the love of our neighbour)  is for each of us very much a personal undertaking, not one predicted by religious or ethical mandates nor by any governmental or political limitation of Thomas Jefferson and his cronies in 1776 or whenever; nor by Donald J. Trump at present.

Pretty much all of us are familiar with the phrase in our Declaration of Independence that asserts that every person possesses three inalienable rights – “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. But what did “pursuit of happiness” mean to Thomas Jefferson, who used the phrase, and his contemporaries, who embraced it? The phrase actually meant “the pursuit of a meaningful life”, of a life that provides a person with a sense of satisfaction that what they are doing is worth living for.

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.

If, as one might reasonably assume, each of us wishes to live freely and happily, then one is led to enquire, “Who or what is going to stop us?” If you or I were among those commissioned to draft the Declaration of Independence (announcing our liberation from British dominion) then one might plausibly conclude that the recognized obstruction was government (oddly, the very thing we were then in the process of formulating for the initial colonials and their protection). Even if one were reluctant to imbue government with the quality of beneficence, I think it is sadly an inductive leap beyond imagination (except perhaps among some questionable Trump supporters) that there is a “deep state” or treachery among the currently elected officials. While the prediction is not entirely implausible in rogue governments of third-world countries (such as Turkey whence the term “deep state” derives), once again I believe it to be otherwise a heinous jump into the mist more probably calculated by people like Trump who are overtly unhinged. If there is any political corruption at work I believe it to be the Republicans themselves who, to their eternal ignominy, continue to support a leader of their party as a leader of their country as a leader of the world who is clearly incapable.

The government does not have our best interest, they are supposed to work for us. They are taking advantage of the hard working American people. During this Covid pandemic, many people have lost their life, a loved one, jobs and homes. We can’t afford to keep letting this happen. Many people are worried on how they are going to pay their bills, take care of their family. Is society going to go back to normal? Has the American people forgot what our constitution stands for? We do have our rights and if we keep letting this so called government take over. We will not have a constitution. Our rights are on the line. We need to take a stand and defend this beautiful country most importantly our constitution.
The deceleration (sic) of independence says we have the right to overthrow our
Government. It says we not only have the right, but we also have the duty to alter or abolish any government that does not secure our unalienable rights, including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Americans have many rights and we are watching the government take everything away from us. We deserve life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. We are Americans. We will not be controlled. We will not stand down.

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness

But I have allowed myself to infiltrate the private affairs of another country; and, possibly unwittingly to offend my American friends. For this I apologize.  My intention from the outset was to ruminate solely upon the pursuit of happiness, not upon the political misinterpretation of the Declaration of Independence. I fear however that any attempt by me at this point to regain your unfettered attention, unqualified by equal vociferation, would be futile. Regrettably the current larger significance of world peace, dignity and exemplification far outweigh whatever petty commentary I may have regarding the philosophic pursuit of happiness.  Indeed it is upon candid reflection not entirely uncertain that my own views of happiness (however scurrilous they may be) have been trumped by the greater issues at hand. Perhaps the rebound from this match is best left, for the moment at least, until a further time wherein the matters of metaphysical absorption are more tolerable and convincing.