Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Maybe it’s me, but wouldn’t there be a high level of difficulty to pull a carriage without a horse.

Horse and carriage….or even a horse-drawn wagon; there are certain things in life that are better together than alone.

Take peanut butter as an example. I love the creamy style of that nutty spread. But add a layer of jelly – preferably grape in my case – and the sandwich becomes two slices of heaven.

Life is full of things that are great by themselves, but become utterly fantastic when you add another item.

A hot slice of pizza is even more delicious when you wash it down with an ice-cold beer.

You can stare forever at a blank piece of paper, but that parchment springs to life when you use a pencil or a pen.

A good glass of wine goes better with a slice of cheese.

You can’t tighten a nut without a bolt.

Here’s a few more great combinations when it comes to food: mashed ‘taters and gravy; mac and cheese; fish and chips; spaghetti and meatballs; shrimp and oysters (or flounder, or crab cakes, or clam strips….add whatever seafood you prefer); bacon and eggs; and bread and butter.

And, of course, you need to have salt and pepper at the dinner table.

Movies and popcorn are also inseparable items.

So are soap and water; hammer and nail; hugs and kisses; shoes and socks; back and forth; and up and down.

What’s a good, hot cup of coffee without a dab or two of cream?

I’m not a fan of gin, but those who do consume that type of alcohol swear it goes good with tonic.

If you witness a bolt of lightning, there’s a 100 percent chance that a clap of thunder will follow.

And then there are extreme opposites.

You’re either dead or alive; accepted or refused; asleep or awake; ancient or modern.

You can attack or defend; agree or disagree. You are either an ally or the enemy; big or small; black or white; blamed or praised; calm or troubled; cunning or simple-minded; and wet or dry.

You’re either inside or outside; inferior or superior; first or last; righthanded or a southpaw; happy or sad; patient or inpatient; rich or poor; slow or fast; rough or smooth; hot or cold; and strong or weak.

You either purchase expensive items or shop for the cheap stuff.

Whenever you arrive, at some point you must depart.

But perhaps the biggest opposite in humans comes in our political beliefs.

Democrats and Republicans have long been at odds, and that’s a good thing in one sense as their opposing views serve as a balancing beam. However, it’s at the two ends of that “beam” (the far left and the far right) where extremism is found. My worst nightmare is to have those two extreme opposites to gain power and become the middle.

We can do better, people. I’m conservative in nature, and my political beliefs follow that ideal. But yet I’m not blind as to the needs of others.

However you look at it; whatever political stance you have, we all have to understand that we, as citizens of the United States, are joined at the hip by a document known as the Constitution. Love it or hate it, those words form the base of our Republic.

What really bothers me is the way people either want to totally ignore the foundation of our nation or interpret it to suit their agenda.

Just like the examples I mentioned earlier about opposites, we can’t have it both ways. The Constitution is the supreme law of the United States and it took two full years for it to gain approval.

The Constitution was written in the summer of 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by delegates from 12 states, in order to replace the Articles of Confederation with a new form of government. It created a federal system with a national government composed of three separated powers, and included both reserved and concurrent powers of states. (billofrightsinstitute.org)

In September of 1787, the document was sent to the states for ratification. Many of the state conventions ratified the Constitution, but called for amendments specifically protecting individual rights from abridgement by the federal government. North Carolina was one of those states. That led to the Bill of Rights, which are the first 10 Amendments of the Constitution…to include freedom of speech, the right to keep and bear arms; two “rights” that remain under heavy debate today.

With those 10 Amendments in place, the Constitution was formally ratified in 1789 and 17 other Amendments followed in an ongoing effort to meet the changing needs of our nation. The most notable of those succeeding Amendments are the 13^th (abolishing slavery), the 15^th (the right to vote cannot be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude), the 19^th (granting women the right to vote), and the 21^st (repealing the 18^th Amendment, which was approved in 1933 and prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors).

Our Constitution begins with three simple words….We the people. It was written to serve the rightful citizens of this great land. It is a document that embodies the fundamental laws and principles of our nation.

The Constitution and adhering to its words are like peanut butter and jelly….they go great when paired together.

Cal Bryant is the Editor of Roanoke-Chowan Publications. Contact him at cal.bryant@r-cnews.com or 252-332-7207.