As you celebrate the Fourth of July, please take time to discuss with your family the historical and spiritual significance of the Declaration of Independence and the 56 men who risked their lives issuing one of the great documents in human history.

At the core of the Declaration is the profound assertion that each of us has an unalienable right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Unfortunately, too many Americans believe they’re entitled not simply to pursue happiness, but to be happy. This breeds an “I deserve it” mentality and “whatever it takes” strategies to help them get or keep the things they think will make them happy.

But alongside our unalienable rights to pursue happiness are unalienable responsibilities to be good and decent people. There’s nothing wrong with wanting and going after money, possessions, power, or status, provided we do so honorably. The deeper question is whether the pursuit of happiness is an adequate life goal.

Helen Keller said, “True happiness is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”

The men who signed the Declaration of Independence weren’t simply pursuing happiness. Instead, they pledged their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor” to establish a government based on moral principles. This took character. And character is what life is really about.

According to philosopher George Santayana, “Character is the basis of happiness, and happiness is the reward of character.”

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

On this 4th of July, I hope you will take time to experience pride in and appreciation for the great qualities of our country.

One quality of our democracy is that every citizen is a public official. Thus, the passionate advocacy of political convictions is not only a right, it’s a patriotic obligation.

What worries me, however, is the tendency of many basically good people to be overcome with self-righteous certainty that they’re right and that those who disagree with them are wrong.

Having grown up during the ’60s, I have ugly memories of the brutality and futility of close-minded ideological warfare about the Vietnam War.

The conduct and name-calling from anti-war factions was often ferocious and unfair. They called people who believed the war was justified warmongers, imperialists, or ignorant government stooges. Worse, some went beyond protesting policies; they belittled, condemned, and rejected the military personnel who gave and risked their lives in service to their country.

The other side was no better. Adamant hawks labeled war opponents traitors or cowards. They considered any dissent to be disloyal, even criticism of the atrocious slaughter of innocent civilians in a village called My Lai. They evoked the all-purpose shield of national security to suppress documents (the Pentagon Papers) that discredited government claims about the conduct of the war.

Patriotism shouldn’t take the form of arrogant, chest-pounding, flag-waving claims of superiority or the morally blind chauvinistic claim that we have an inherent right to do whatever is thought to be in our national self-interest.

Patriotism doesn’t require us to support whatever national policy our elected officials pursue, but it does require respectful and responsible discourse – on both sides.

Instead of name-calling and political posturing about the war in Iraq, we need honest, open, constructive, and sincere debate about what is right and sensible.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

“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.”

These remarkable words are the heart of the Declaration of Independence and soul of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

The notion that all people have inherent moral rights that cannot be taken away by a tyrant, or even a democratically elected government, has shaped our national conscience as well as our laws and traditions.

It was the moral core of the uniquely American democracy experiment that led French historian Alexis De Tocqueville to observe: “America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.”

As we celebrate our glorious heritage on July 4th, we would do well to reflect on the values and ideals that make us good and the warning that our greatness grows out of those values. Thus, these moral principles not only define us, they confine us.

I talked last week about the arbitrary internment of thousands of innocent men and women of Japanese ancestry during World War II to remind us that, in the face of fear, we haven’t always had the moral strength to honor our ideals.

Ever since 9/11, we’ve faced a parade of seductive justifications and excuses to ignore our founding principles, including the presumption of innocence, the rejection of cruel and inhumane interrogation or punishment, and the right of every person to demand that the government prove in a court of law good cause for arrest and confinement.

So the question is: Are we strong enough and good enough to protect ourselves well enough without sacrificing our claim to greatness?

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

Whether you’re a teacher, coach, parent, or boss with the power and duty to instruct, inspire, and discipline others, you’ve probably heard this challenge: Who are you to teach me?

Implicit in the question is the idea that if you’re not perfect, you have no qualifications or moral standing to teach, preach, or punish others. That’s simply not true.

Of course, inconsistencies between our words and personal conduct will undermine our credibility and give others an excuse to reject our message, but valid and valuable lessons can still be taught by imperfect people. A gymnastics coach doesn’t have to be able to do a back flip to teach it. Important lessons about right and wrong can be taught by those who don’t live saintly lives.

What’s more, people struggling to live up to their own standards can be even more effective precisely because they understand the nature and power of temptation and the ever-present possibility of bad judgment. I often comfort myself with this thought. Despite my preoccupation with issues of ethics and character, I know I’m no paragon of virtue. I frequently fall short of my moral ambitions.

For example, I want to be thin – especially when I’m not hungry! I want to be healthier as part of my responsibility to my family and others who care about or rely on me. Still, every day is a challenge, not because I don’t know what I should do, but because I love steak and bagels and donuts. Unfortunately, resisting temptation most of the time simply isn’t good enough.

We shouldn’t give up on our pursuit of perfection, but we also shouldn’t wait till we’re perfect to teach what we know and believe is right.

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

From time to time Linda Ellis, a talented writer in Georgia, sends me poems. Here's an excerpt from "One More Day."

This day, this precious, wonderful gift has been bestowed upon me free!
And whatever I choose to do with it remains entirely up to me.

I could squander these given hours, treat each task as if it's a chore
And mark this day off my calendar like so many times before.

I could overlook the blooming flowers and ignore the sun's warm light
Before it inevitably sets again, turning my gift of day to night.

I could dwell upon mistakes I've made and cry regretful tears
And live my life in the shadow of my own anxieties and fears.

Or I could make a resolution, before one more day has passed,
That I shall live it to its fullest, live it...as it if were my last.

Then I shall, as I awaken, relinquish my fret and my sorrow
And accept one more day to love and laugh with no guarantee of tomorrow.

At night, as I lay down my head only to wake again, I'll pray,
And if I do, then I'll thank God for giving me "One More Day."

The theme of gratitude and appreciation for every day reflects old but important wisdom like this from an unknown author: "Yesterday is a dream. Tomorrow is a vision. But today, well lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope."

This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.

To thank Linda for her lovely thoughts and to read more of her poems,
visit www.lindaellisonline.com.