The United States is a deeply flawed nation, but it is an exceptional country. We must always strive toward equality and remember that life is not fair.
Dear Carl,
Today is the Fourth of July, and there is still a little more than four months remaining before you are expected to arrive in the earth’s atmosphere.
There are so many things I want to tell you. So many things I want to share.
Through these ongoing notes, rants and pieces of unsolicited advice, I hope I can help you — at least in some small way — achieve your destiny by becoming a free man. It’s not as easy as it sounds.
Today, the United States of America will celebrate the 250th anniversary of when our nation was born – the date when we took great risks to break free and establish our independence.
Our country is an ongoing experiment, a Democratic Republic founded upon the bedrock principle – a proposition — that we are all created equal.
I hate to tell you this, Carl but’s it’s just not true. We are not all created equally.
Don’t blame the president, members of Congress or the guy down the street.
Blame God. That near insufferable prick made it impossible for any of us – whether we live in the United States, Mexico, Germany, Pakistan or Denmark – to ever be truly equal.
God – a concept or an entity that I strongly believe in – creates each and every one of us in a way that is unknown to us. God creates all us as inherently flawed beings for a distinct and unique purpose.
The hard part, Carl is figuring out what God intended of us. The hard part is determining our destiny,
I’ll be talking more about God in future posts, but for now I want to help you avoid resentment or confusion that comes attached with expectations.
A very wise man taught me that expectations are nothing more than premediated resentments.
I am sorry to be the one to break this to you, Carl: Life is not — never has been – and never will be fair.
Equal and Fair are tricky words, Carl — and they both come with all sorts of dangerous expectations that cause anger, resentment and life-long suffering.
The sooner you embrace the concept that life is not fair, the happier you will be.
Life is not — never has been
– and never will be fair.
There is a flip side to today’s lesson, Carl.
Though we are inherently not equal — we must always strive to treat one another equally.
That was what Thomas Jefferson was getting at when he wrote the Declaration of Independence 250 years ago.
Jefferson wrote that “all men are endowed with fundamental, inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
Let’s not get all bent out of shape that Jefferson used “men” instead of people. His intention was to discuss “mankind,” meaning all humans.
Language changes over time, Carl. It’s best not to let it trip you up.
But there is a certain hypocrisy to Jefferson – a man who owned slaves – writing that all men are equal.
It is easy for me as an affluent white man to pontificate about Jefferson’s intent, but it should not be forgotten that our founders were passionate about creating a nation of fundamental political equality — declaring that no individual was born with an inherent divine right to rule over others.
Our founders were men who lived under the tyranny of a king, an arbitrary ruler selected only because of his lineage. Very few kings are benevolent.
But America – despite its beautiful design — is far from perfect, Carl.
Our nation was built on the enslavement of Black Americans and the subjugation of women and Native Americans.
America – despite its beautiful
design — is far from perfect, Carl.
But I believe – to my core – that the United States is an exceptional nation – that our country holds great promise and that we are – despite all of our challenges and flaws – a beacon to the rest of the world.
People like Elizabeth Cady Stanton at the Seneca Falls Convention and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have consistently reminded us that we must always push to become what our founding fathers envisioned – a place where all citizens are treated equally.
The bad news? We’re not there yet.
The good news? We’re making good progress.
. . .
You must remember that happiness is not promised, nor guaranteed.
You do not have the right to be happy, nor should you ever expect anyone else – through their own labor or sacrifice – to provide you with anything other than to be treated equally.
Remember what Jefferson wrote: you are free to pursue happiness, but your satisfaction is not guaranteed.
Life is not fair, Carl.
Some people are born with terrible diseases. Some people are taller than other people. Some people are born in Somalia; others are born in Hawaii.
There will always be others with more than you, and there will always be others with less than you. It all comes down to perspective, Carl.
You are free to succeed, Carl. And I know that you will.
NOTES TO CARL | LESSONS IN MEDIOCRITY 