“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.”

Wish I could write like that!

My question is did those men who wrote the Declaration of Independence know that these truths are self-evident or did they just believe it? to know: to be aware of the truth or factuality of : be convinced or certain of; to believe: to accept or regard (something) as true

Have you noticed that everyone is right? Ask any Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Jew or Moslem, Liberal or Conservative, Socialist, Communist or Capitalist which is the correct religion or way and they all know the answer. 100%

What has happened in our generation is that believing and knowing have converged. Maybe we need a new word that suggests this point. beknow: to be convinced that some idea or concept is a fact.

The world is flat. The world is round ( actually spherical ). Earth is the center of the Universe or maybe not. Maybe there is Global Warming (Climate Change) or not. What is the difference between beknowing that the earth is flat and global warming. Very little. It depends on your perspective and the tools that you have to ascertain those facts. We just have more advanced tools to come up with our truth, although the earth sure looks flat to me. We all know that Climate Change proponents have all the facts on hand that affect Climate: Solar Activity, Atmospheric Content, Ocean Temps, Volcanic Activity including the earth’s core), Prevailing Winds, Ocean Currents and a slew of others to numerous to even imagine let alone describe. Who do you Believe?

Maybe the redistribution of wealth is a good idea but: Where does the wealth come from? From the 1% of the population that has an idea and the will and courage to implement that idea. Take away the incentive to succeed i e remuneration in any of its forms and wealth and the creation of wealth must decrease. It is human nature. One might also add that when you take away incentives from any part of the population, to succeed or fail you necessarily weaken that group spiritually and financially. It is human nature. Who do you believe?

There is an old “joke” about an old Rabbi who is trying to settle a dispute between a husband and wife. He takes each one aside separately and hears them out. To each one he says that you are right. His wife who was listening in the adjoining room asks “How can they both be right?’ The old Rabbi thinks for a moment and concludes, “You also are right.” Maybe it is not a joke. Possibly there are no jokes but the foibles, trials and tribulations of people. So the next time that you hear a “joke” consider where it comes from and its intent.

What is the proper percentage to beknow: 100, 98, 50 or 0 ?