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.
From the second sentence of the Declaration of the United States, July 4-1776
Ah, that fleeting emotion of Happiness we seek to find, and when we do, we attempt to hold on tightly to it. It has been written, that as Americans, this is our Right. So lives are spent trying to obtain Happiness, never fully understanding that being happy is an emotion, and emotions, by their very nature, come and go.
So, I beseech you, my dear Into Israel readers, to ask what Rights our Creator truly endowed us with, and what, just what, should be your true Pursuit?
United States The Pursuit of Happiness
Eretz Yisrael The Pursuit of Hashem
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actually, the pursuit of happiness, may well be the reason organized religion exists. I mean, afterall, if everyone ran around pursuing happiness, where would the world be? just saying.
Awww Aaron looks so cute in that picture! I am also hapy to see a real map and not a GPS!
A most thoughtful entry, Barbara. Happiness is fleeting and, whenever pursued, is never found. I think it more likely that we find ourselves happy while doing something else. From school, I’ve heard that the more accurate interpretation is ‘the pursuit of property.’ Sounds rather mundane and materialistic yet, without property such as shelter, clothing, sustenance, how can we survive? If you’ll excuse my reference to Christian scripture, “Man does not live by bread alone,” so maybe that’s what the Founders meant by expanding the context to ‘happiness.’ But if we pursue our lives to make only ourselves happy, are we truly happy? I don’t know but I think making others happy too is part of the equation for ourselves. So, maybe in the long run, pursuing happiness might be a way of pursuing Hashem?? (By the way, it’s early as I type this, and I haven’t had my first coffee yet *grin*).