March 2014

A PERFECT UNION

Does being a citizen mean anything?

The preamble of the Constitution of the United States is set out in the sidebar. When did we last read it? When did we last consider what those words mean?

Perfect

  • having all the required or desirable elements, qualities or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be;
  • free from any flaw or defect in condition or quality; faultless.

Union
  • the action or fact of joining or being joined;
  • a state of harmony or agreement.

Justice
  • just behavior or treatment: a concern for justice, peace, and genuine respect for people;
  • the quality of being fair and reasonable;
  • the administration of law or authority in maintaining this.

Tranquility
  • the quality or state of being free from disturbance;
  • calm and serene and untroubled.

Defense
  • the action of defending from or resisting attack;
  • attempted justification or vindication of something.

Welfare
  • the health, happiness, and fortunes of a person or group;
  • statutory procedure or social effort designed to promote the basic physical and material well-being of people in need.

Blessing
  • God's favor and protection;
  • a beneficial thing for which one is grateful; something that brings well-being.

Liberty
  • the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views;
  • the power or scope to act as one pleases.

Posterity
  • all future generations of people;
  • the descendants of a person.

The simple meaning of the words that define our purpose as a nation leaves one wondering if so far we may have come up a bit short in bringing about the intended outcome of the establishment of our constitution.

Perhaps we should redouble our efforts in the years and decades ahead to bring about the visions of those who created our governing structure at the end of the 18th Century.