The first short video above illuminates the wisdom beneath the official Pledge of Allegiance.
In light of how profoundly disrupted our country has become, I believe it is time to update the Pledge of Allegiance so it is far more clear, relevant, restorative, and actionable. The second short video above (and the explanation below) is my best attempt to accomplish that… in honor of July 4th United States Independence Day and beyond.
“I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and to the utopian vision for which it stands: a reunited, collaborative, and just nation, guided by love, wisdom, and ethics that transcend our differences, and that harmonizes individual liberties with our collective wellbeing.”
Here is the meaning of each section in this updated Pledge:
-
“I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States, and to the utopian vision for which it stands:” I pledge to remain loyal to the highest vision of the founders of our country, and to our Constitution. To do this, I am devoted to understanding our country’s founding vision and Constitution, and to making that loyalty more important than loyalty to specific leaders, political parties, or lobbying groups.
-
“A reunited collaborative and just nation:” I pledge to do my part to help replace societal divisiveness, political polarization, coercion, and compromise, with synergy that pools everyone’s highest intentions and deepest concerns, as the needed foundation for us to generate integrative solutions that are in integrity with our Constitution and the utopian founding vision it was meant to implement.
-
“Guided by love, wisdom, and ethics that transcend our differences:” I pledge to be guided by these values in all of decisions and actions, and in candidates for public office who I support, not by my ego, the egos of self-serving or coercive leaders, the collective ego of any group, or any ideology that seeks to usurp our Constitution.
-
“And that harmonizes individual liberties with our collective wellbeing:” I pledge to live in integrity with our fundamental human nature as social beings who are endowed with free will, and to insist that our laws reflect this understanding of human nature by harmonizing personal freedom with how our society and government operate.