Americans are tired. Not just tired of all the crap coming from Washington and all the crap slung around on the TV, but physically, literally, tired. Fatigued.
We're tired because the American Dream we grew up on isn't working out for us. In fact, the harder we work, it seems the less we have. The louder we speak, the less voice we have. The more of us that vote, the less our votes seem to result in meaningful representation.
We're tired from thirteen years of endless war, with no end in sight. We're tired of working more hours for less pay. We're tired of sacrificing in our everyday lives so our planet will still be livable for our kids and grandkids, only to see those with money and power lay waste, with impunity, to what little inheritance we had left for our successors: the air, the water, the land under our feet.
You call us lazy, but we're just tired-out. Remember when millions of us marched, for months, against the Iraq invasion? We invaded anyway, on false pretenses, against the will of the people. Remember when thousands of us turned out, grandmothers and college students and everyday working folks, to demonstrate against income inequality? The government that was supposed to protect and defend us called us terrorists, and attacked us. The bankers kept taking our wealth.
Remember when we took trains and buses, and carpooled, and biked, and hitchhiked, and marched peacefully to demand the country take action on climate change? I didn't think you would. The temperatures kept climbing, the reservoirs kept dropping, and you kept extracting, burning, polluting, indifferent to our future and the futures of those we love.
We are tired of taking matters into our own hands. Of walking the streets to ask our neighbors to sign initiative petitions that are finally bringing about the governance our government is supposed to provide: living wages, drug liberalization, education funding, humane sentencing, even civil rights. Our soles, and our souls, are worn thin.
But I will tell you we still have hope gleaming in our tired eyes.
On our shores stands a woman with arm outstretched, with light and justice, who calls out, saying, Bring me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free...I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
As tired as we are, we remember the words of our Declaration of Independence, which we, at least, still cherish: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
We believe in Life. We believe that everyone has the right to live, be they rich or poor, powerful or lowly, no matter their race, gender, age, color, or sexual orientation. We believe that conflicts can be resolved through diplomacy, without needless loss of life. We believe in good stewardship of our planet so future generations can live.
We believe in Liberty. We believe every person should be free to speak their mind, to worship any God or no god at all, to gather, to travel, and yes, to express dissent peaceably. We believe in taking in refugees, in opening our door to strangers, in caring for the sick; because in repression, persecution, or illness, there is no freedom. We believe women should be free to control their own bodies, bank accounts, and relationships. And we believe all people should be free to live their lives, without disguise, free from the threat of harassment or discrimination.
Moreover, we believe, perhaps radically, in the pursuit of Happiness. We believe there is more than the grindstone. We believe in culture, in the arts, in freedom of expression. We believe in vacation days, sick days, family leave, and fair pay for fair work, because this frees us to pursue happiness: in our families, in our communities, and in our faith. We believe in a secure retirement, because after a lifetime of toil, we believe it is good to rest from one's labors and delight in one's golden years. We believe there is more. In all our fatigue, we believe there is more.
So though we are tired, we keep marching, because there is more, because there is a better future ahead of us; and through all the disappointments and rejections, because we know that one of the strongest lessons of America is that together, nothing can stop us. Our current President spoke at least one enduring truth, even in our darkness: that we are the change we wish to see in the world.
We will keep marching. We will march to a better future. We will march toward life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We will march with or without the fickle and often self-absorbed politicians you represent. There is only one question we have for you: will you lead, follow, or be left behind?