Declaration of Independence

I wrote this declaration for the July 4th issue of my weekly subscription journal; The Journal of the Wandering Taoist. It generated lots of feedback and I wanted to post it here to see if it speaks to more people.

 

We, the people of this world, united by our common understanding that we are wandering pilgrims in a mysterious Cosmos, hereby declare that we are a free people and will no longer submit to the tyranny of a society that we believe is inimical to the satisfaction, happiness, and well-being of life on this planet.

Whereas our society is dedicated to the pursuit of ever more material possessions at the sacrifice of the planet’s resources and the welfare of the poorest among us, we declare that we will no longer participate in the amassing of goods beyond that which is needed for life’s basic comforts.

Whereas we are, through sophisticated media, bombarded with fearful messages designed to manipulate us into supporting war, oppression, and a unsustainable economy, we declare that we will no longer believe or give our energy to the things our minds are being taught to fear.

Whereas our conditioned minds have become our greatest oppressors, we declare that we will no longer blindly believe nor follow the dictates of our thoughts. We will dedicate ourselves to gaining clarity, insight, and deeper wisdom

In summation, we will no longer be enslaved by inner or outer voices that seek to have us believe that which is not true. We will submit ourselves only to our own inner authority which we believe will return us to a life of cooperation, compassion, and simplicity.

To this we pledge our lives and our sacred honor on this 4th day of July, 2014