Freedom: We Hold These Truths
On this 4th of July, as we prepare to light up the sky and celebrate the birth of our nation, it's a poignant moment to reflect on the state of our democracy and the trust that rests with the people. As Washington referred to it, “the establishment of our New Government seemed to be the last great experiment, for promoting human happiness, by reasonable compact, in civil society.” The journey is continuous, marked by storms and calm seas alike, requiring constant vigilance, effort, and course correction, with you as its captain.
In recent years, political strife has torn the fabric of our nation, splitting families and communities. There's been a disconnect, a need to protect ourselves in a volatile landscape. History shows we've been here before, dating all the way back to the forming of our more perfect union.
We must remember that the fabric of America is strong because we are diverse, resilient, and willing to defend her rights. Yet, it's natural to feel uneasy when fear, cancel culture, and the politicization of the vulnerable take hold. We look to figures to bridge the divide and unite our nation, giving them the power we all hold.
Freedom is a choice. It remains a testament to those who have courageously risked and given their all to preserve our rights- liberty and justice for us all. It is an ideal that transcends personal beliefs; it is the land of the free. It requires great risk and greater sacrifice to stay the course or change it. It is a profound responsibility that requires everyone to do their part, to participate to ensure its survival—our way of life. We must care enough to protect it each day by participating in the great experiment.
I recently returned from Dallas after four incredible days at the Bush Institute's Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program (VLP), and I'm still processing the experience. It has been a long time since I participated in real civil discourse with a group of individuals outside my close circle. Yet, within days, 30-plus individuals with different political views and life experiences disagreed respectfully, shared ideas, challenged each other, and walked away as friends, ready to do it again.
We gathered at the VLP to learn how to better serve veteran and military communities, but that was just the starting point. We were building bridges daily—us to them, them to us, us to each other, and collectively to you. We engaged in sessions and conversations on leadership, data, and policy—not to tell us how to think but to help us flex our minds and get comfortable with being uncomfortable. We would journal and reflect to check in with our curiosities, frustrations, and hopes.
Within the first half hour of Day 1, a statement was made and questions were posed: "What got you here will not get you where you are going. What do you need to leave behind? What do you need to embrace? What is depleting your energy, and where is it preserved?" I opened my blue leather notebook, stamped George W. Bush Institute, and wrote, "I am preserved by my family, faith, and work. My family is my safe place and drive; Veterans Collaborative is my passion and calling; my faith is my foundation. Media, negativity, hate, and useless noise deplete me." This wasn’t a one-and-done exercise, but a reminder that the journey is the destination. Today, I think about our Founders, issuing the Declaration of Independence 248 years ago, and how they navigated these questions.
The first full day began with discussions on public policy and included an interactive exercise to rank 20 different real-world national policies. Together, we decided what would be the top policy for our nation. Don’t worry, this was only a drill. However, there were some rules. Some were able to move a policy six places and others only one, which ultimately meant that the majority of the room would have to give up on their top priorities and focus their efforts elsewhere. The lessons of the moment were priorities, how our values and experiences impact them, and the greater good. I made decisions based on what I understood and could act upon, not against one person or their beliefs.
There's an incredible museum at GWBI with an interactive room where visitors sit in the President’s seat and can interact with the decisions that were made. The arguments were real—the best way forward and the best argument against it—while the world kept turning and news kept breaking. One breaking story coincided with a real raid my husband and his platoon were on during his deployment with 3/75th. I sat stunned for a moment- remembering it was a successful mission and one of his proudest moments. I remember him calling when the phones came back up, telling me to buy the New York Times the next day. That moment was framed but is not displayed on our walls. Now, years later, I was sitting with the choice someone had made for us; there was no waiting for the storm to pass.
We won't always get it right, and there are heavy consequences when we fail. Yet, we aren’t powerless; the decisions may rest with officeholders, but we put them there. When errors are made, it's up to us to learn and correct our course. I have always thought that somewhere in the middle of the best course of action and its staunchest opposition is the answer. Yet, there was no middle ground that day; the choice was the courage to demand victory at all costs.
We discussed effective leadership, and I jotted down attributes that were important to me: values, intentionality, diverse thoughts, effective communication, creative collaboration, civility, courage, and action. You can add to this list or take away from it but take a moment to think about what is important to you and who makes your list. Now, where are we today? How do we get back on course? The answer isn’t one big decision or person, but millions of small decisions that have an impact. That is the power of the people.
It isn’t lost on me that our first VLP session coincided with the first debate between Presidential candidates. Truthfully, I forgot there was a debate and dreaded it. I worried it could unravel the camaraderie we had begun to build. The next day, during our debrief, I, like others, expressed my views: "340 million Americans, and THIS is the best we've got?” This was more of a statement than something to be answered, but truthfully, I already knew the answer: No, it's not.
As I wrapped up the week and returned home, I contemplated my voice and small role in the course we are on. I decidedly want a third option. I’ve remained silent about politics outside my trusted circle, constrained by my job and my husband's that requires a bit of apoliticalness. I thought about the white noise that I want to drown out, the political debates that I dread, the lack of social norms that come with our new instant platforms, the lack of civil discourse in our civil society, the distractions that have our heads down, and the powerlessness I feel in my choices for the next leader of the free world. Then it kind of hit me, no one is coming for us; we are the masters of our fate. The responsibility belongs to all of us.
I end this reflection contemplating the relentless fight for freedom. The courage and actions behind the words:
“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.”
We are free because courageous men and women have used their ability to imagine a better tomorrow. Throughout my life, despite the challenges we face, I am grateful to be an American. Throughout history, freedom-loving people have chosen the harder right and sacrificed their security and lives to protect the blanket of freedom under which we rest. They have fought against injustice and tyranny, altering not only the courses of history, but our mighty vessel at sea. Their participation, both significant and modest, reminds us of the ties that bind us all.
The great experiment of Democracy, the ship that will never reach shore and the work that will never be complete, is alive and well. The direction we ultimately go remains in the hands of the people. YOU are the hope, YOU are the mend when we tear, YOU are the keeper of a better tomorrow.
Happy 4th of July. Let Freedom Ring!
Written by: Natalie Worthan, Founder