If you make your way to the small town of Egham, about 20 miles southeast of London, you will find nearby a meadow along the Thames River. The site is known as Runnymede Meadow. In July, 1957, the American Bar Association unveiled a small, domed memorial containing a pillar of English granite with the inscription, “To commemorate Magna Carta, symbol of Freedom Under Law.” It is one of the most historically significant places you could hope to visit.
On June 15, 1215, in Runnymede Meadow, a group of openly-rebellious barons forced King John of England to put his royal seal upon a document they drafted. The document became known as Magna Carta and represented the first time that the subjects of an English King attempted to limit the powers of their sovereign through law and protect their rights. Over 560 years later, Magna Carta would influence the swelling tide of independence that was gathering strength in the colonies of English America.
235 years ago today, a Declaration of Independence was made. As I sit here writing, a few thousand miles away, friends and family are waking up and beginning their day, a day of celebration and rememberance. It is not just the moment of declaration that we celebrate today but every single moment since that day. And we celebrate every single life.
The net of human connections that spans the face of this planet grows more complex with each day. Actually, the connections have always been there; it is our ability to see and interact with them that is changing. When I stood in Runnymede Meadow, I listened, and what I heard was the wind moving leaves in the thick woods nearby. I heard the sound of insects. I heard the grass swaying gently. I heard my sons playing in the distance. I stood, and I listened. I listened, and I heard.
What I heard was the sound of freedom. From Runnymede to Philadelphia and so many points beyond, we are all connected by our right and desire to be free. May the desire to find freedom for every last man and woman on our planet never end.
Illuminate Possibilities 