[January 1, 2026] This year we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and in that celebration this year, we will be looking at what is and what is not part of the American experiment. The phrase that Americans have the right to the pursuit of happiness is misleading at best, and wrong.
The second paragraph of the U.S. Declaration of Independence declares, in one of the most famous and quoted lines ever written:
“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.” – U.S. Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
However, we should not be pursuing individual happiness, because that leads to a host of societal and personal ills. It is better to think that we are built for adventure, for hard work, and for struggle; these being the attributes that make us better, more moral, and successful. Happiness may come from our struggles, and that is certainly not nothing, yet enjoying it does not mean we should have happiness as a goal.
The phrase, “the pursuit of happiness” is not what Americans today think it is; too many think their focus on happiness is absolutely righteous. The phrase certainly does not mean chasing fleeting pleasure, and most of us know this instinctively.
The pursuit of happiness means we have the right to strive for virtuous living (good character), freely making life choices, self-improvement, the quest for self-governance, personal freedom, family, religion, and property. It is not a guaranteed state of being happy, and happiness is surely not our purpose in life.
The “pursuit of happiness” is an adventurous quest, not a destination. This involves growth, development, and seeking of truth and responsibility. Doing so leads to living a good life. I’ve written about this pursuit often, and some say this is the main theme of my articles. Perhaps.
What we should pursue in life is adventure; not a reckless, unthoughtful pursuit, but an eyes-wide open journey. In doing so, there will be difficult periods in our lives, and happiness will not suffice at this point.
Tell the truth and seek maximal responsibility. That is the proven way of a good life, one where the pursuit is more important than the goal.
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Please read my books:
This is a summary of Dr. Jordan Peterson’s advice and Gen. Satterfield is spot-on with it. Thank you both.
What I like about this Nick is that Gen. Satterfield is making Lefties/crazies/radicals go nuts because he is saying that everyone must be responsible for their own personal and family future. Leftists think we have no control because we are oppressed. Go Go Go, Gen. S. Make them see the light (oh, that requires brainpower, which they do not have). 😂
Those of us in the “modern” world are told several lies and we believe them. One of them is that we should pursue happiness in life. I believe that this is both misleading and dangerous. Putting happiness first and foremost means taking any action that “doesn’t hurt anybody” to achieve that goal. But it is impossible. Well, it’s impossible for an outsider looking in. An alcoholic in his early stages may be thinking everything is great with just one more drink. And finding a drink is easy because it is cheap and readily available. Get drunk. Problems solved. Nope. Danger lurks where responsibility ends.
Gen. Satterfield nails it with these concluding paragraphs. Be sure to read them closely. There is great wisdom here. And, as Gen. S himself admits, these thoughts are not his, but proven wisdom from the ancients. This is why we should read the Bible, a brilliant text of many books. Here is what Gen Satterfield wrote:
“The “pursuit of happiness” is an adventurous quest, not a destination. This involves growth, development, and seeking of truth and responsibility. Doing so leads to living a good life. I’ve written about this pursuit often, and some say this is the main theme of my articles. Perhaps. What we should pursue in life is adventure; not a reckless, unthoughtful pursuit, but an eyes-wide open journey. In doing so, there will be difficult periods in our lives, and happiness will not suffice at this point. Tell the truth and seek maximal responsibility. That is the proven way of a good life, one where the pursuit is more important than the goal.” Read closely and learn.
Ein glückliches neues Jahr!
For all mine friends and colleagues who are wonderful and who do their best to be better and good men and women, I thank you. For leadership, I also thank General Satterfield, and wish him and his family a safe and happy New Year! I am convinced that we can have a better year, but first we must learn to reject lies and those who would do evil upon others. Good cheer. Good year ahead.
— and Merry New Year to you, Max. 👀
✧˚ ༘⋆HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026✧˚ ༘ ⋆
Happy New Year 2026 ….. as we also celebrate the 250th birthday of the USA 🇺🇸
I always wondered about this, although I never could put it into my own words. So, Gen. Satterfield, thank you for helping unpeel this onion. There are many many layers of meaning here, and over time the meaning has evolved to a point that a modern American completely misinteprets its original meaning.
Yusaf. Great to hear from you and I appreciate the comment. I plan to do more like this, over this coming year.
Good one. Happy New Year. And many blessings for this new year.
A great start to the new year and I look forward to reading more about “what the Declaration of Indpendence is and is not about.” Keep up the great work you are doing, Gen. Satterfield. Please continue to be hard hitting, like in “Park Refuses Veteran Nonprofit Request” where you nail bureaucrats for being bureaucrats. DEI at its best is still a real thing.
https://www.theleadermaker.com/state-park-refuses-veteran-nonprofit-request/
HAPPY NEW YEAR, SIR