As I sit this moment in front of my computer thinking about today, I can only hear one sentence repeating itself over and over. “We the people”. Though I had a considerable amount of fun watching a baseball game and a hilarious monkey rodeo show, for the first time in my life, all I can seem to care about is this three words sentence.
The highlight of today’s events for me was our visit to the National Constitution Center, where I got the chance to discover the History of the United States of America.
Inside this great modern edifice resides one of the best museums where the Stories of America are being preserved forever. In addition, I can gladly add that they are doing a great job in accomplishing that fact.
We began first by watching a uniquely styled movie show that presented the history of America throughout time, starting from the British Colonial Era, going through the decoration of independence, the Civil War and finally arriving to the draft of the Constitution.
After the movie we had a guided tour around the exhibit , where all the names and the events that made the America of today were displayed for the public eye to discover, appreciate and respect.
We then spent the second half of our time at the Thomas Jefferson Slavery Exhibit, where I had the pleasure to watch a short documentary about slavery and Thomas Jefferson.
This visit had brought so many emotions to my heart, that I don’t even know from where to start.
During this tour, all I kept thinking about are the wars on the other side of the globe, especially in my part of the world. Suddenly everything seems perfect, and coming from a place where basically everything isn’t, kept me thinking . what makes the difference?
Walking around the different sections and trying to find an answer to my question made me even more frustrated.
All I could see is how well thought everything was for the generations to come to decide what was best for them. Of course it is never an easy fight to make a change on a heavy scale like the government of a country, but looking at the possibility of that was tremendously awakening. At this particular part comes the role of civil society. A society aware of its rights and obligations, acknowledging that the reality is not what it’s supposed to be, but only what it is, and last but not least believing in higher values as the best map towards happiness.
I stopped at each civil right activist and read their stories on how they abolished many injustices of the world. I saw Thomas Jefferson on Slavery, Martin Luther King and Rosa parks on Racism and Jane Addams on women’s rights and equality. I cannot summarize the history of civil rights in a few names, simply because the list is endless. And suddenly, I have found the answer to my question . “ Because the list is simply endless” . If everyone of us contributed to a cause , making an endless list of contributions we’ll definitely make a difference.
I remember our embassy coordinator, before arriving to the states, saying: “Americans give their time and money to causes they believe in, and you know how important are those two things to them”
As a conclusion, No law, no article and no constitution can make a difference as long as it is ink on paper. It is the people, their sacrifices and their consistent drive to make the world a better place to live in that makes the difference. My hope is that I can deliver this message to my people, so they can finally start looking at the future as their own, and have a word in making it a better place for them.
Where the Constitution was Signed
-TimTim