July 4th, Independence Day

Like most Americans, Independence Day has become to mean something more than simply hot dogs, fireworks, and Chevy cars. It has become for me a beacon of opportunity to express the greatness of this country. A chance, if you will, to celebrate with pride that America has the good fortune of being part of the greater community as a whole and citizenry of the planet. Yes, Independence Day gives the world a chance to observe Americans at their best and worse. It also provides the world a chance the opportunity to observe the renewal of a nation’s birth.

Some 231 years ago, the meetings of the minds, in unison, decided to stand against tyranny. To stand against oppression and take the lead against a monarchy lost in its own self-importance. These men saw an opportunity, a portal, if you will, for a greater calling, a nation, they hoped, to embolden people. This was a birth of a nation, which was to encapsulate the better angels of humanity.

At times, it has failed, and at time it has been the Golden City on the Hill, in which people were able to foster hope, trust, and the American dream. July 4th, our Independence Day, is just that, the reflection of our history!

Some use this as a day of memoriam, others use it as simply as a day off, to be with their kids, friends, and families. Some even use this as a way to be jingoistic and spew ideological rhetoric to manipulate the minds of the naive, the ignorant, and the apathetic. In some cases, July 4th, our Independence Day, has become commercialized, trivialized, and ritualized to the point of obfuscation. To confuse the public, so that, pointless consumerism can assuage the soul of the overburden, harried, of an overtaxed public both figuratively and literally.

Nevertheless, July 4th, our Independence Day, is a celebration of our greatness, of our failures, and of our freedom to pursue and extend happiness for not only ourselves, but be the example of liberty, and charity to the rest of the world…