Episode 137: The Value of Independence Day

Welcome to another edition of "Around with Randall" your weekly podcast for making your non-profit more effective for your community. And here is your host the CEO and founder of Hallett Philanthropy, Randall Hallett. It's a privilege to have you here for this edition of "Around with Randall" as we celebrate the 4th of July, Independence Day. We're going to take a brief respite from the tactical pieces of the nonprofit world, although at the end I will tie this together to talk just about a little bit about what we're going through this week in our country as we celebrate every year the thought of independence, of freedom.

I don't take this lightly in part because of a father who served in the military to defend our freedom from grandfathers who I knew incredibly well that went overseas to do the same and just the fact that there's a blessing that as I get older I realize more and more how much grace there is in my life that I was born here by happenstance. We probably should spend a little more time thinking about how fortunate we are, and frankly how similar we are when it comes to the concept of freedom and America. And I sometimes think we believe that we are so different inside this country. Are there disagreements? Do we have challenges and issues that are worthy of conversation? Absolutely. But the fact is, most of us are very similar in view for 90-plus or more percent of what we think and do.

So today I want to spend just a moment talking about the value of Independence Day, at least to me, and looking back on history about how we got here and why it's important to think about it, to reflect upon it, to build upon it, and to realize that it's not perfect. I think sometimes we take for granted this concept of Independence, whether it's the idea of freedom of speech, or religion, trial by juries, by your peers, a justice system that's built, again not perfectly, to create the best options available anytime in history in terms of judgment and crime or civil liability. The idea that we are for the most part, again, not perfect. But search and seizure and that at the same time we found a way to partner with this and this isn't necessarily about Independence Day, about capitalism, and again it's not perfect, but you put the idea of freedom and capitalism together what you get is the Hallmark of what we do every day. And there are places in this world, and some not very far away, that don't have these basic rights that the idea of being able to say what you want for the most part, particularly against your government, might get you jailed or killed. Or that the state sanctions certain religious beliefs and even maybe the liberalization or the conservative nature of those belief systems or that there just aren't trials, there are tribunals, and one or two people make a lot of decisions on the guilt and innocence of people. It's authoritative for many people in this world, and yet we are the the beneficiaries of centuries of thought, action, defense of the things that we enjoy today.

I think it's important to realize what in Independence Day, the Fourth of July, what the people of the time in the 1760's, 70's, 80's, took a chance on a risk. It was sacrifice. They put out an edict in the Declaration of Independence that was formed in June and early July with Thomas Jefferson's brilliance kind of running throughout, to say certain things that would not be well received by powers across the ocean, and even by those armies that represented the king in America. They put their land, they put their money, most importantly they put their lives on the line by saying three things that are amongst the most important in the Declaration of Independence, that we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights that are among these: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, number one.

Number two, that to secure these rights governments are instituted among men, among people, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That's our elections, fact that we choose who represents us, and that whenever any form of government becomes destructive in its ends. It is the right of the people to alter or abolish it and to institute a new government, laying the foundation on such principles and organized and such powers in such forms as that they shall not seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness. How many of us would risk that safety and happiness today? In all candor to betterment of the future, maybe to the detriment of the of the current, what I have for the betterment of my kids and my grandkids. These individuals stood forth and said we will not allow a single entity or a government that we have no ability to influence guide us. What's even more interesting is is that this was the first time somebody had written down something like this the Magna Carta moves in this direction, but it was the first time somebody said we're going to let the people select those that govern the people and the people then can throw them out they don't like them. That's a Revolutionary War concept. I think what's also equally important is their recognition that this did not come easy over time. We fought wars over this central concept of freedom from tyranny. We fought it inside of our country. We fought it outside of our country.

Something to keep in mind that I try to not only on Memorial Day and on Veterans Day but on Independence Day as well is the people went to war and were willing to die so I could be here doing this dumb podcast and you could be driving or sitting or doing whatever it is you're doing. Give up their lives. We're willing to sacrifice. I think it's equally important to recognize that we've not gotten this right all the time. There are moments in our history, decisions, actions, government oversight of things that should should make us all cringe.

We start with slavery and the fact that we thought at one point in our history that was acceptable at some level, and that's in kind of for me endowed in the Dred Scott decision in the late 1850's where the Supreme Court said this is a legal practice, wasn't for a hundred years the Supreme Court stood up in Brown vs. Board of Education to say yeah we haven't got this right yet. Segregation is another terrible situation, terrible allowment of the government to separate people, thinking that that would be equal. That to me is Plessy vs. Ferguson, 18, I believe, 96 where they said yep you can separate people based on attributes, color, skin, whatever.

We go into World War II. We didn't get it right with Coromatsu which is another Supreme Court decision where we allowed for the encampment of Japanese Americans. I'm shaking my head, if you're listening, those are horrific moments in our history. But I always come back to what we said in in the Constitution, in order to form a more perfect union. America is not built on perfection and that's good because I don't know anybody that is. But America is in pursuit of a better world. Do we get it right all the time? We do not in the short term and in the long term, but it's important to realize that it's about growth. And Independence Day for me is about the ability for us to realize what we've gotten through, what we are getting better at, and where we can do better, but under the realization that those questions and answers couldn't be done almost anywhere else on earth at any other time on this earth.

Winston Churchill said something very important about the concept of democracy, really the Hallmark of what we are as a country in terms of governance and certainly what the Declaration of Independence highlights, he said many forms of government have tried and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government and the important part, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time, the idea of perfection doesn't exist. But we seek a more perfect union on this Independence Day and every day to improve our communities, our societies, our world.

And non-profits are in the middle of that. What do we take from this in the philanthropic, nonprofit world that doing what's right isn't easy. We're watching numbers. Tell us that there are less individual donors, and less people giving, and less philanthropic dollars. To me that that's our declaration to say we're going to fight harder to tell better stories and explain why it's important and why philanthropy can make a difference for our communities. It takes time. It takes effort. It takes resources. It takes partnerships. I'm willing to fight for that, so to speak.

I also would say that it's important for us to remind ourselves, our community, our donors, our prospects, and others. Something else Winston Churchill once said. We make a living by what we get but we make a life by what we give. The end of the day, philanthropy is all about as its title love of mankind, love of humankind, making a difference. And on this Independence Day I hope we can tie the two together that we are more alike than we are different. That there are moments in our history that we should pay homage to, and moments we should learn from. And that it's taken a lot of people, lots of people, through life and through giving of their own lives in death to give us these opportunities, and I'm speaking for myself and maybe for one or two others that I know we're pretty darn lucky, blessed to be born into this country, and or to live in this country at this time, because there's no other place on earth I'd rather be in Independence Day than on "Around with Randall" today.

Appreciate your time today. I wish you the best of this Independence Day on the fourth and the entire week and also say thank you for those that have served and that those that do serve to make our country a shining beacon, but not perfect, as we seek that more perfect union. I'll look forward to seeing you next time right back here on "Around with Randall". Don't forget make it a great day.