The United States is approaching the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence—a moment of reflection, celebration, and for many, a moment of uncertainty. The country has seen generations labor to give fuller expression to the ideals named at its founding. Yet exhaustion, anger, and disillusionment amid polarization and conflict have become part of the atmosphere of public life. A letter from the American Bahá’í community points to a dimension less often examined. Some of the nation’s founding principles, including freedom, equality, and justice, it suggests, are not only civic aspirations. They are, in their essence, spiritual principles, whose fuller realization depends on the renewal of trust, love, moral courage, and a sense of shared purpose.
