“L’instruction est la clé qui ouvre la deuxième porte de notre liberté.” – Joseph Zobel, La Rue Cases-Nègres
The United States of America is a society built on shared ideals and common purpose, not geography and common ancestry. America is not a nation of happenstance; it is a work in progress composed of all races, religions, tribes, and creeds. This country and its people, born from a revolution, maintained despite a civil war, and made strong through overcoming challenges, enshrined in the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States the declaration, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union…do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America” (emphasis added). In order to maintain our structural integrity of ideals, establish Justice to all individuals who compose the People, and guarantee the national inheritance for our children and their children, We the People need an education.
Summer has come to an end, which means it’s time for the youth to trade in their carefree days for regimented hours of learning. The sacrifice of time yields the prize of personal development. Inevitably, the youth shall graduate from the persistently watchful eye of their educators and turn into citizens entrusted with the democratic process of electing the individuals who show up and decide questions of profound importance for all of society. While ignorance may be bliss, it is not a reliable means of securing the blessings of liberty.
As we grow, we learn that the differences between ourselves and others are largely superficial social constructions. Our identities are partially constructed by the bodies we inhabit, but our minds provide the autonomy necessary to exercise our liberty. Making decisions and thinking for ourselves is the most significant part of crafting our personal identities. To make well-informed decisions, we must be taught how to separate fact from fiction, analyze facts in order to come to informed opinions, and recognize that no one, including ourselves, can know everything.
Students, I task you with the responsibility of doing your best every day while recognizing that your best is not always going to be 100%. You are the heir apparent of our republic and you will soon be tasked with its maintenance and prosperity. If you wish to rise above your life circumstances and become self-determined beings, you need an education to emancipate your mind.
Teachers, thank you for the heartaches, long hours, sleep deprivation, and the seemingly impossible array of tasks presented to you with each new day. You have been entrusted with our children to mold their minds to become independent and productive members of society. Without your guidance, we are but leaves in the wind without a destination.
Be kind. Be humble. Be better today than you were yesterday. Welcome back to school.
The Law Firm of DiOrio & Sereni, LLP is a full-service law firm in Media, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. We strive to help people, businesses and institutions throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania solve legal problems – and even prevent legal problems before they occur. To learn more about the full range of our specific practice areas, please visit www.dioriosereni.com or contact Paul M. Carrion, Esquire at 610-565-5700 or at [email protected].
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