Revolutions are messy. Violence is terrifying and the result is always in flux.
There is a reason that revolution is usually more talk than actual action and that is because of the dire consequences a full-scale revolution creates. In our journey through the Declaration of Independence we just read the most radical statement in the document about "abolishing" government when it becomes destructive towards our fundamental rights. That sentence is directly followed by the most conservative sentence in the entire document and the focus of this article. So let's take a look: Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
Pop quiz: Define prudence.
(Clock ticks) Prudence is associated with two key concepts: 1. good decision-making and 2. caution. So logic tells us that governments which have stood the test of time have done so for a reason. That is one reason why the American government continues to chug along after 226 years of existence. In 1776, the English parliament was over 500 years old and in 1707 merged with the surrounding Scottish government to create the Great Britain Parliament. Parliament was working, the monarchy (minus a few Oliver Cromwell incidents) had been thriving too. So why upset the balance? Jefferson is warning the reader here with this passage. We do not blow up the system when the problem with the system is "light" and "transient". Light is simple enough, that means trivial and miniscule. For example, we don't overthrow the government because Pokemon Go is ruining our country. Psyduck needs to leave Kai and Eli alone. We don't recreate the government because the paint scheme in the House of Representatives clashes. Transient (man this feels like a vocabulary quiz) means lasting for a short time, impermanent. So we don't overthrow the government because we don't like Barack Obama. He will be gone soon enough. We don't overthrow the government because the Senate will not approve a new Supreme Court nominee, it eventually will. No, the art of revolution is in the necessity of it. Even when it is necessary, many will argue that it is not. So Jefferson is being clear that you cannot cash in your revolutionary chips on anything less than systemic tyranny. This next sentence was the thought behind Laura Tornello's great guest article this week. Humans are obsessed with the status quo, even when the status quo is unfair or unethical. Jefferson argues that the fear of change allows evil to exist because we are afraid to speak out. In fact, I'll let Heath Ledger explain more:
Of course, the biggest difference between the Joker and Jefferson, besides the make-up, is that the Joker does not have some ideological replacement. Hell, he does not even have ideas, he just wants to "watch the world burn" as Alfred says in the movie.
Jefferson is an ideologue. He wants a government based upon natural rights and the protection of those rights. This is where you world historians would note that the other famous revolution during this time period is the French Revolution and although the causes and ideologies were similar, the results between the two revolutions were quite different. This exemplifies the danger of revolution. For every Washington there is also a Robespierre. For every "E Pluribis Unum" there is a "Reign of Terror". Let's not lose sight of the false dichotomy here though. Revolution is not the only tool in our "change" toolbar. We do not have to choose between "suffer, which evils are sufferable" and overthrowing governments anymore than we have to choose between the lives of police officers vs. African Americans. We have a responsibility to address suffering for all people and all communities. We must fight it with our words but also our actions, how we treat each other and how we teach each other. We must create a country of support and love, a country that inspires and protects our natural rights. The foundation and the structure of our government exist for that, the change must come from society itself. We must fight back against the "customs" of indifference and isolation in our current society. We owe it to our country, our humanity and ourselves.
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