Open Your Eyes

"We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is it this the part of wise men, engage in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not and, having ears, hear not?" This is part of Patrick Henry's famous "give me liberty or give me death" speech at the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1775. Henry is one of the best examples of a patriot. He may have grown up like a regular boy in the 1700s but he ended up as one of the most important men in the American Revolution. But how did he go from normal boy running around in the hills and woods of Virginia, to one of the greatest men in history?

Henry grew up in Virginia and he and his siblings took advantage of the land all around them. We might say, "I'm going over to Susan's house," in the same tone as Henry might have said, "I'm going up the mountain." Fishing, hunting, swimming and exploring made up a large part of Henry's childhood. He played a couple different instruments including the violin and harpsichord. His father and uncle were Henry's main teachers though Henry did attend a local school in his early age.

Henry and his brother, William, tried to open a store together but the business failed due to the brothers generosity. Henry tried again at the mercantile trade but it didn't last long. After marrying, Henry took a shot at tobacco farming but after a famine that idea fell through. At this point he turned to law; he taught himself the guidelines, rules and points of law, and went forth to become a lawyer. He amazed the bar examiners and soon joined a law firm. It wasn't that much longer until Henry was widely recognized as a powerful speaker and lawyer. With his strong voice and passions, it's no surprise that Henry was one of the principle leaders in the revolution.

Patrick Henry was all about taking action. He taught it and he lived it. So, how can we do that too? The Declaration of Independence, written one year after Henry's liberty speech, says "that Mankind are more disposed to suffer…than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to which they are accustomed." It's easier to stay silent when someone asks for a volunteer for prayer; it's way easier to let someone else open the door for that elderly couple. Patrick Henry was surrounded by people who were too hesitant to act. Henry's friends said things but, as the saying goes, "it's easier said than done." Open your eyes! Do you really notice everything around you? The answer is that you probably don't. Our brains don't recognize all the crazy, wonderful and troubling things that happen all the time. We only focus on what's most important; which might end up being what we think is most important, not what actually is important. The problem is that we live in a world like Henry's. There's just not enough people who stand up and stand out. Our nation is binding itself in troubles and snares. The chains are thick; the keys to the locks are missing. Do we notice the hole America is in? Drugs, shootings, live-in boy and girlfriends. That's only some of the problems. We've got to stand up to these things. And to do that we've got to open our eyes and pay attention. Many of Patrick Henry's friends noticed that he did a lot of observation. By listening and watching, Henry learned a lot about human nature. That's why he was such a great orator, he knew how to captivate and draw people's attention. He saw what was happening and he took action.

Henry lived in a world that is so different but yet so alike to our own. Henry didn't have to worry about bullies in the same way that we do now but he stood up for the right and we can too. But to do so, our eyes must be open, our ears listening intently. Henry lived over three hundred years ago but his example still shines brightly in a dimming world. Put down the phone, get away from the computer, turn off the TV; the world needs to see your light. As Henry asked, "Why stand we here idle?"

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This is an essay I wrote for an online class I'm taking this semester.