Since tomorrow is Independence Day, here’s a fun fact for you. In the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote the words: “…life, liberty and the pursuit of possessions.”
Later it was changed to “…life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
To the colonists’ way of thinking, materialism was driving the expansion of the New World. Possessions, to them, equaled happiness.
So…what do you think of that?
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I think the third element caught on much better than the first two. Many Americans seem to have a low estimation of life, particularly for the unborn, the elderly, and the seriously handicapped. To me, the outcome of far too many elections indicate they don’t value liberty either. But they have their hands out for more and more possessions. The attitude is give me what the rich folks have and I’ll be happy. I think you nailed it.