It is through hard times that we learn to appreciate the good. What hard time have we lived through? What sacrifice have we all made due to a hard time? It's through these lessons that we truly understand how great our country is. When you can look past your own small problems and appreciate the opportunity given in our country, then you can understand what Jefferson meant. Unfortunately, this requires a hard time of great magnitude to truly bring about the understanding that we require. It is through this shedding of "blood" that we will all be reminded of what was so fresh in Jefferson's mind when he made this statement.