About once a week, I would run from the Congressional to Arlington and back. It was a great run and I love passing all of the DC landmarks while getting in the best shape of my life. My favorite monument is the Jefferson Memorial. The larger than life statue of Jefferson looks across the basin directly to the White House from his American Parthenon. The beauty of the memorial is not the statue, but the words on the wall. "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, and are endowed upon their creator with certain unalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." After spending three months in Congress, it reminds me the importance of the institution of government. In the modern age, we have to redefine life, redefine liberty, and redefine the pursuit. We can now take the lives of unborn infants, we debate everyday on the sacrifice of liberty for safety, and defining the rules of the pursuit have dominated our government since day one. My run around the great monuments reminds me that words are rarely static and must be redefined with each new age. As I run to the entrance of Arlington, my mind drifts back to the words circling about Jefferson, "I have sworn upon the alter of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man." My run is not only exausting for my body, but my mind as well. DC seems to wear out the mind of everyone working to move our country forward.
- Jake
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