This post originally ran on July 1, 2017 This Fourth of July weekend, I’m musing on the Declaration of Independence. What exactly did our Founders mean by including “the pursuit of Happiness” as one of our unalienable rights? Some say they were influenced by Francis Hutcheson, an Irish reverend and philosopher, and others who believed...
Tag: Fourth of July
Are You Really in Pursuit of Happiness?
This Fourth of July weekend, I’m musing on the Declaration of Independence. What exactly did our Founding Fathers mean by including “the pursuit of Happiness” as one of our unalienable rights? Some say our Founding Fathers were influenced by Francis Hutcheson, an Irish reverend and philosopher, and others who believed that happiness was best achieved...
Founding Fathers Speak on Living Creatively
As you know, I’m an historian by training, and the American Revolution has always been one of my favorite eras to study. It continues to fascinate me that great leaps forward (and backward) in our world cultures seem to take place when a particular group of like-minded, ambitious people come together, and never was there...
Must Artists Always Be At Work?
“I wish I could read your travel journals,” a friend once told me. “I bet they’re amazing.” I changed the subject. Fast. She’d be so disappointed with my journals. They are filled with clichéd lines like, “the view was breathtaking” or “the mountains were beautiful.” I’m a hard-core traveler. I like to see and do...