Is Independence Inalienable?

Declaration of Independence

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.

Inalienable rights? Or unalienable rights?

Which word is right? Er, correct?

This word vulture worries about such distinctions.

Or is it potato, po-tot-o?

Maybe Gershwin was right. “Let’s call the whole thing off.”

Only today is the 4th of July, the day our nation celebrates its freedom from the monarchy that historically claimed rule over every piece of real estate it could, subjugating peoples everywhere.

Independence from tyranny must be fought for and maintained. Yet every person is born dependent on some other ones and many other things that existed before their arrival.

Not a single human being can survive on his own or call himself truly independent.

We can work it out: interdependence

A better word perhaps than independence is inter-dependence. But I will save that discussion for another day.

As I grow older, gaining life experiences, I keep learning to allow for differences.

Here’s what I found

The dictionary defines inalienable, adjective, 1. incapable of being repudiated or transferred to another 2. not subject to forfeiture; unforfeitable synonym, unalienable

Check out this article that further explains the use of inalienable and unalienable as interchangeable, noting inconsistencies throughout history. Even when it comes to the Declaration of Independence writer Thomas Jefferson, he had it both ways.

Oh well. It’s hard to be perfect.

I will stick with IN-alienable, as I was taught, and link its use to IN-dependence and INTER-dependence as clues that I should pause before correcting spelling and grammar.

Celebrate today! America is 241-years-old.

Think how far we have come since 1776 and how much the nation has grown. Think about how many freedoms Americans enjoy that other people don’t.

Independence may claim to include inalienable or unalienable rights, yet nations are subject to the government its citizens trust.

The truth remains that citizens need each other–– interdependent––connected and considerate of each other if they hope to survive.

Whether you prefer inalienable or unalienable, the Declaration of Independence captures some pretty amazing words that hold us together as a nation.