The Signers of 1776 Were Not Rational Men
It is easy to talk of following your inner voice and all, but when it gets uncomfortable, most of us head back to the herd.
If we are to become an actualized person, following the inner voice is becomes our duty. We must follow it in defiance of tradition, authority and social pressures, and regardless of personal consequences. It is not rational at all. It is heroic. But it is not easy or comfortable.
The signers of the Declaration of Independence signed the document knowing it was treason against the English Crown. They knew that if they were captured that they would be tortured to death. Their possessions would be seized by the English. Their families would suffer and become impoverished. They had a lot to lose. How do you think they slept that night? I bet some were awful worried.
It was not a rational decision to sign the Declaration of Independence.
I mean really, who would have thought that those disunited colonies with poorly trained militias could defeat the British Empire? The British Royal Navy had like 270 warships and 75,000 sailors. There was no way the disunited colonies could defeat the British! No rational man would risk everything for such a foolish venture. And these were not men with nothing to lose. Over half of them were wealthy.
I know it sounds trite, but those men were true heroes. They acted on their beliefs against the greatest empire in history, knowing full well that they would probably suffer terribly for it.
And indeed, many of them did.
Nine of the fifty-six signers died from wounds suffered fighting in the Revolutionary War.
Five others were captured by the British as traitors and tortured as traitors and then promptly executed.
Two had sons die in the war.
Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
Eight more had their homes looted by the British or Tories.
Several died in poverty. One of them, Thomas Nelson, Jr., in the Battle of Yorktown, after learning that the British had taken over his house for their headquarters, urged the Americans to artillery it. They did, destroying the home, and Nelson later died bankrupt.
These were not rational men. They were heroes. A rational conclusion for these men would be to do nothing, to let others take the risk. And if the risk-takers won, everyone would share the spoils of liberty anyway, both the risk-takers and the rational ones who did nothing. But no, they risked it all.
I know it sounds trite, but damn, these were genuine heroes! There are few men like this around anymore.