Happy 4th of July

What are we doing with our independence?

The date is July 4^th, 1776. Our founding fathers are joining together to sign the Declaration of Independence. America didn’t have modern technology, so they couldn’t take advantage of conference calling, social networks  and email. Thomas Jefferson had only been married a couple of years and was extremely busy ghostwriting for the folks in Virginia. However, the weather being rather agreeable in July, it wasn’t much to hop a horse up North. John Hancock was already in town. No wonder he was the first to sign it!

George Washington really didn’t get too busy until the winter of the next year, when he led a show-stopping old-fashioned campout at Valley Forge. It was so popular that some 12,000 people showed up and stayed all winter, even when they ran out of food. Almost everyone else had pretty busy schedules though and that wasn’t helped by the extremely poor public transportation system. So, in reality, the final “John Hancock” didn’t get on the document until 1781.

Instead of high-powered negotiations in the board room, they had to plot their strategy at Valley Forge. The central heat- – what central heat?!? But everyone brought as many blankets as they could. They didn’t have power walks, but the year before, they did have “last man standing” power marches on the Bunker Hill. Instead of vacationing in Fort Lauderdale, they spent the fall season at Fort McHenry, the highlight of which included a 25-hour fireworks show from the British. Folks argued that it didn’t provide the environment for spiritual enrichment of the soul. Maybe that was true, but seeing that flag still waving after taking such a beating did provide Francis Scott Key the inspiration to pen the Star Spangled Banner – to each his own.

The food was really bad- you had to eat whatever you could scrape up. No one could get a decent cup of tea anymore. And if you think your bathroom is a chore to clean, you should have seen some of theirs. The pay was dreadful – instead of an agreed upon salary they had to settle for that old excuse, “I know it doesn’t look like much right now, but in a couple of years…” Such were the wages of autonomy.

Some think the Declaration gave us freedom. Examination the document, however, proves it did not. It gave us self-rule. It was created to dissolve the current political bands. It was forged to secure certain rights including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (with limits). It was the groundwork for following the stated laws, which were to be the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. It secured the ability to ensure the naturalization of foreigners and much more. In other words, our founding fathers exchanged subordination to the British for dependence on a set of rules that they believed to be better.

Many expect to have this ever-elusive independence. However, shouting,  deliver me from my job, parents, environment, circumstances, and responsibility seems to pale by comparison to the efforts of the past. Fast food, computers and modern technology have fashioned many into a tribe of people who want instant results with little or no investment. You can spot this new breed by the number of times they use “I” or “me” in a sentence. However, I cannot find any historical documents in this country that even attempt to give us these rights. To accommodate these folks we have to rewrite most of history adding such famous quotes as “Give me liberty or give me compromise” and “I regret that I have but one life to give for my country…yours.”

The good news is that like the examples set in the Declaration, others have chosen to pay the price. Our founding fathers exchanged comfort security and lives for the American Way and people have been doing the same ever since. Some gave up their rights to friendship, love and peace because they want to stand up and speak out about what they believe is good for the people.

I’ve yet to find anyone who is truly independent. What I have found so far is that we all seem to have obtained some level of independence. We paid for some. Others paid for some. All of it comes with a price. The question then becomes: What will we do with it? The choice always was and probably will be ours. Still, imagine how powerful we would be if every day we gave some thought to what we could do. If not, I believe we pay the highest of prices for nothing.
 
Best wishes to you on this holiday and many thanks to those who did pay for all that we now enjoy.
 

Happy 4th of July!