Paul and the Pursuit of Happiness

A touching, tragic, yet beautiful true news story............


The Pursuit of Happiness

The famous phrase is based on the writings of English writer John Locke, who expressed that "no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions."

The first article of the Virginia Declaration of Rights adopted unanimously by the Virginia Convention of Delegates on June 12, 1776 and written by George Mason, is:

That all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; namely the njoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.

Benjamin Franklin was in league with Thomas Jefferson in downplaying protecting "property" as a goal of government, replacing the idea with "happiness". The United States Declaration of Independence reads:

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.
August 22 11:37pm
What about The Pursuit of Happiness? (Part One)
In 2003, in the true spirit of liberty a man named Paul hopped on a bus headed toward Raleigh North Carolina from Upstate New York, it was a seventeen-hour ride, the first trip of this kind he had ever made. He was on his way to meet a friend of his to collaborate on a writing project they had mused about for a year previous. Thirty minutes away from his destination on the interstate, the bus he was riding on drove through an intersection where a homeless man was asking for change. It was broad daylight, the light had turned green and the bus accelerated paying no attention to and not noticing the man at somebody's driver's side window asking for "change". The bus struck and killed the man within an instant. Paul only stayed a week in Carolina but that moment was a defining one and one that would carry on in his mind throughout the years as he tried to find his place in the world. He has found his place.

Fast-forward 6 years to the present day. Paul has been sleeping on couches for the last 3 years of his life as he looks avidly for a job that not only pays off his debt but also allows him to save enough for his 3-year-old son and any future he may grant him. Any income he has earned thus far and any tax returns have been taken by the federal government in an effort to pay his student loans back, no mind he's not 5 years out of college and doesn't even have a bed let alone a job. He has been held back, not advanced, by his decision to go to college.

The creditors have sued Paul over 5 times in the last two years and won on account of Paul having no legal representation. If it were up to Paul, he would be suing them. Translating his inability to pay as a refusal to pay, they have gone as far as sending a sheriff to the place he resides to repossess any "things of value" and auction them off to the public. He has had any or all property of value levied against this debt. Of course this wasn't much to begin with, and though now left with nothing material in his possession (aside from a few books), they have been unable to garnish or detach him from his spirit. He has not one moment given up his search for work and a more positive future. Unlike a majority of people who turn to public assistance when in trouble financially, Paul believes his debts are his own, and for better or worse he (and not others) is the one who has to pay them back. He has been lucky enough to have a family that either loves or pities him enough to offer him refuge in the form of a place to sleep and a meal ticket. However for Paul this place of refuge has turned burdensome and he wishes to remove himself completely from such dependency. Recently, days after being turned down for a fast-food job and receiving a letter to say he was eligible for wage garnishment and litigation from the department of justice without even being employed, Paul kicked it into high gear, tapping into the social network he has built over the years for help or consolation.

August 22 11:30pm
What about The Pursuit of Happiness? (Part Two)

While the government and the system in general boasts of being one of justice, it here has found time to harass and hold down a poor, ambitious, hard working Father of a young boy. In their pursuit of justice they fail to take the time to do anything for him but hold him back from his own happiness and security. They want him to drain on the system; they want him to be dependent on them for his survival. Paul refuses to do so.

Why don't they investigate further the truth about Sept. 11, 2001? Why don't they confront the widespread corruption in government? Why don't they prosecute war criminals and supporters of torture? Why don't they respect the constitution? What need is there to punish those who are trying just to live their lives and find work enough to put food on the table for their family? There is no need for it.

Paul was offered a job in California, or at least the prospect of one that not only fits into what his strengths are, but one that shows a potential for economic growth otherwise scarce in today's struggling economy. Since he could not afford to move out to California immediately, his Father suggested he stay in New York to look for work even without offering any assistance as to where Paul might begin to find any. "Become a cop" was the quick and easy answer given to him. This wasn't the answer Paul wanted from his Father, but then again his Father has always failed to notice:

Paul is an artist, a political activist, a musician, an old soul in a new world, a journalist, an author and a poet. More importantly, Paul is a Father, a Son, a Brother and a lover of his country.

"In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot." ~ Mark Twain

Paul has made the decision to walk from New York to California since he has no other way of getting there. He is okay with this. He will not be tread upon anymore by a corrupt system.

The desire for freedom is not dependent upon financial support. Paul has said he will die if he has to in defending liberty. "When held in place by an apparatus that would not aid or encourage us to be free, we must free ourselves from that apparatus."

Paul's goal is to get to California obviously, but he has it also set in his heart to inspire in others, the memory of free will and the power of the human spirit. He will be releasing his second album when he gets to Los Angeles, as well as writing about his travels while moving across the country. He is willingly removing himself from the grid of control in hopes that some of you will follow suit.
Paul is planning on departing from ground zero in NYC on September 12th 2009 after meeting and rallying w/ members of We Are Change NYC, he will be heading south through Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and Virginia towards North Carolina stopping all along the way to meet with other patriots, from that point he will turn southwest through Georgia and further west to Texas to meet w/ more friends of liberty. From Texas he will head north to Denver, west through Utah and into California his ultimate destination.

Most people will think he's crazy, others will call him brave, but Paul is satisfied in knowing he pursued happiness when other elements attempted to strip the opportunity away. This page wasn't Paul's idea but after numerous offers of support and a suggestion by a friend of his that it would be good to have, here it is.

Life. Check. Liberty. Check. The Pursuit of Happiness.....Check.