Our Day of Independence

Today is the 4^th of July. It’s not one of my favorite holidays. It seems like the main point of the 4^th is to hangout with people, drink beer, and watch fireworks. I like seeing friends and watching fireworks, but it seems redundant and empty after the first 18 years or so of participating in it.

On Facebook today a friend of mine posted a video from Youtube of a man talking to people about the 4^th and what it means to them. The people being interviewed were beach bums, girls in bikinis, and people who were clearly immigrants from other countries. All were Americans. None knew the real reason for the 4th of July. Some thought it was to celebrate Columbus finding America in 1776. Some thought it had to do with the Civil War. Others thought it was celebrating America’s independence from Mexico. The host asked, “Besides Doc Holiday and
Wyatt Earp, who else signed e Declaration of Independence?” A few people said Benjamin Franklin. Some couldn’t name anyone.

At first I was pissed. But on another the other hand, I wasn’t surprised. They were obviously less intelligent members of society who would have issues telling you what 7x9=? Or what the capital of Alaska was. I think the dismay I felt came from knowing what those people sacrificed and why they fought so hard for our independence so long ago and how little it means to people today. But then I thought, maybe that’s a good thing.

I read an article from National Geographic the other day. A 23 year old woman-same age as me- was stuck in a prison in Saudi Arabia. She had been in that prison for 5 years because the man she had been in an arranged marriage with died at the age of 71. Since she didn’t have a male chaperone, she was arrested and locked in jail. Her only hope now of being released is if she finds a new man to be in an arranged marriage with. If you tell this story to any American, I imagine their reaction- though not necessarily lively- will be of shock on some level. It is unfathomable to anyone living in this country what that kind of life would be like.

When you have guaranteed Freedom and your raised with that guaranteed Freedom and you practice that guaranteed Freedom every day, it’s easy to take it for granted. But you know people appreciate when they hear of those in other countries who don’t have it, whether they realize it or not. They are grateful. They would want that woman in sitting in that cell to be free. We want others who are denied their Freedom to have it. It’s like finding someone who has never tasted ice cream and saying, “Are you crazy! How could you have never had ice cream before?! O.k., we definitely need to take you to Cold Stone right now.” There’s an instinctual urge to share with others the things we enjoy. I think our Founding Fathers would be happy to know that the country they established no longer feels to celebrate its Freedom because its people enjoy it every day without even realizing it. We’ve come That Far as a nation. We now seek to ensure the Freedoms of others in foreign countries who suffer. That’s how Far we’ve come.