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| Washington D.C.'s Jefferson Memorial |
"There he stands in bronze in the airy space through which a chill breeze blows. And on the walls are his words. Around the bottom of the rotunda, it reads: 'I have sworn on the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.' Jefferson’s defence of his stance on freedom of thought and conscience, specifically pushing back against clergy and political leaders who were attempting to control or dictate personal beliefs. The phrase is a passionate pledge to defend the human mind and personal liberties from authoritarianism, censorship and control, no matter the source.
"On one wall are some of the phrases Jefferson crafted in July 1776 and which appeared in the 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 inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.'
"Stirring words that have been a beacon for me ever since.
"This article is a reflection on words written 250 years ago and that have resonated with me for more than 60 years.
"Jefferson’s sentence is not merely a historical artefact. It is a revolutionary act of prioritising the individual – a declaration that the human person stands before the state, above the state, and beyond the reach of any majority that would diminish him. It is the clearest, most potent expression of the individualist ideal ever written in English.
"New Zealand has never written such a sentence. It has been invited to, repeatedly. It has declined, repeatedly. And that refusal is not benign. It signals a constitutional culture that has quietly hollowed out the individual and replaced him with a managed, supervised, state‑dependent citizenry."
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