“I just have this terrible feeling that they’re going to kill him.”
That line from a friend yesterday certainly struck home for me. We were discussing the situation in Ukraine. She was beaming with pride over the leadership of Volodymyr Zelensky in one moment, and in the span of a breath the gravity of the moment descended on her. The weight of the realization was visible on her face.
A lot of Americans continue to ride this roller coaster as the Russians continue their unwarranted, unjust assault on Ukraine. We may be 247 years removed from those revolutionary days, but the ideals are in our DNA. Our near universal support for an embattled Zelensky is baked in. It helps that our founding document reminds us of the weight of the commitment they made.
Much is made of the introduction and preamble to the Declaration of Independence. For good reason. Those sections introduce the just cause of our founding fathers, laying out the great “why” that drove them.
But there’s another part of the Declaration that raises the hair on my neck. Even as I re-read it this morning. After declaring the why, and stating how they’d reached a point where both conflict and independence were inevitable, they laid out in the plainest of terms just how clearly they understood the stakes.
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
Declaration of Independence
For generations, residents of the thirteen colonies had lived in relative autonomy. Subjects of a far away government, inaccessible save for months long, violent and dangerous sea voyages, the founding generation would likely understand the emotions motivating the people of Ukraine today. After all, Ukrainians have enjoyed a generation of liberty.
It’s easy for us to take that for granted today. But 246 years ago, keeping hold of your liberty was worth risking it all. And for the signers of the Declaration, placing their names on that parchment would seal their fates if the gamble failed. They understood that every stroke of their pens would guarantee their spot on the gallows. Even in victory, 9 of those first Americans would not live to see the end of the war.
Today, President Zelensky continues to rally and lead his people. In the face of an enemy willing to shell nuclear facilities, can we really assume any less than the wholesale slaughter of Ukrainian patriots if the Russians succeed?
Zelensky and his people are living out one of our core principles. They’ve pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to the cause. The spirit of 2022 is living up to the spirit of 1776. May Providence protect them.
Part of the Possible 