It’s not uncommon for people on vacation to try to recharge. That’s the idea of vacation, right? During this process people often get reflective and analytical out their lives, and promise themselves they’ll change this or that. As I sat on the beach in Nags Head, NC, listening to the waves tickle the sandy shores and the chirp of the gulls overhead and watched my children play in the sand, it dawned on me that the beach is the perfect setting for someone to reflect upon their life.

Which is why it was odd I was not the least bit reflective there.

My reflective moments came earlier in the week, during our stop in Washington D.C. Crowded, busy, hot, muggy Washington D.C. And not to mention, smoggy. Living in central Ohio, the air is cleaner. Columbus is a city on the move, growing at a huge rate, but the air quality is generally pretty good. While in DC, both my son and I had asthma attacks daily, that cleared up within 45 minutes of leaving the city.

So why I got so reflective there… I don’t know.

As I stood next to the Washington Monument (which my 4-year old son called the Washington toothpick), I could see the White House, the Capital Building, the WWII memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the National Archives and several buildings of the Smithsonian all from that spot. That’s when I realized how unique America is.

I’m not talking about our recent history; I’m talking about how we came to be. Think of the personalities that had to all come together at a very specific point in history to make the revolution successful. Some of the greatest thinkers ever, all meeting at the same point on the historical timeline.

George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Patrick Henry, John Jay, John Marshall, Samuel Adams, James Monroe, John Witherspoon, George Mason, Fisher Ames, John Hancock, Richard Henry Lee and the many, many others we don’t know about.

Something sparked in them during those times that led these men (and let’s not forget the founding mothers, either) to declare that they could build a better life for themselves and their fellow man.

A better life. Imagine.

And as I stood there at the base of the Washington toothpick, I realized what a powerful statement that is.

“We can build a better life for our fellow man.”

They said it, in unison and the whole world heard it.

What are we saying to the world today?