Wednesday, July 3, 2019

A Hasty Essay for Independence Day




When I was a schoolboy, I was instilled with a deep love and respect for my country; The United States of America. A spell was put on me drenched in swirling patriotism, justice and a desire to see equality for all mankind.

I swelled with pride every morning as we spoke the Pledge of Allegiance in school, hand over my heart, absolute and resolute in my patriotism. I believed the U.S.A. was indeed the greatest Nation.

I was so filled with amazement by what a determined group of men and women could do to
forge a government from the philosophies of Voltaire, and make it real.  

The notion that all are endowed with inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; and that it is our human destiny to be free. Freedom, no matter the cost, was an intrinsic right, like breathing. It was sacred, holy, and unquestionably good.

As a teenager, like all teenagers, I began to question those unshakable beliefs.  I began to wonder if the punch I had been drinking might be more bitter than I was led to believe. Perhaps it was not all so sweet, pure and freshly squeezed.

The wrinkles of history, the cracks in the legends of Democracy began to become more apparent, the mortar on which I had laid my bricks of patriotism was weak.  I recoiled in horror at the things done in the name of Freedom, Equality and the pursuit of happiness.  The dark side of liberty.

My 20’s, I can’t really remember with much accuracy my feelings about my country. I remember touting the blessings of a free people, a free government and the right to drink on  a rooftop balcony while fireworks exploded in the background and I screamed about how awesome we were.

2001 arrived and brought with it such wrath against the United States of America from lands that seemed far too distant. I didn’t know then, how much some of the rest of the world just didn’t like us, how they hated us. I was sad that we, as a country, had created such vitriolic hate through our policies, our greed and ignorance.

I mourned the loss of that Country my younger self had so eagerly and willingly believed in. I was sad for my own blindness and loss of innocence. I was ashamed that I believed in a Country that didn’t seem to exist any longer. I felt grief like I had lost my best friend.

Yet, the mourning, slowly turned to a sort of historic anger. That we had allowed ourselves to be sucked into the very beliefs that our founders had warned us about. They knew, even in their own time, that delicate balance a Republic must maintain, and the work that must be done to protect those rights we feel deep within our hearts and to defeat despots, tyrants and manipulators of fear in our own backyards.

Now, in my 40’s, I still believe in the U.S.A. and the ideals for which we stand. I believe a people, united, can learn from the mistakes of history and create a vision of the future long dreamed of by those people that read a little Voltaire, and thought, “That could work!”

We can create that country, that was so impressive to a young boy in grammar school learning about his own place in society. We can be a benevolent and just country, if we only try. I long to feel that swell of pride in my chest as I did as a young man.

We are always evolving as a country, open to new ideas, people and exploring the potential for all persons to rise to the challenge’s freedom presents. We can be inclusive, generous, and strive for fairness.  We can.

As we celebrate our Independence Day tomorrow, I hope that torch of liberty can be seen reflected in our eyes and each of us can smile at one another knowing that we’re all in this together, and we’ll always be there for each other, United; and make a new generation of schoolchildren proud. 



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