Today is Independence Day in the United States.
But this is more than a backyard barbecue. This is the best of our Holidays.
Independence Day commemorates a drastic change for those involved, breaking free from Great Britain and King George III. A time when ‘we’ve always done it this way‘ just wouldn’t do any longer.
A patriotic day celebrating unpatriotic people.
James Carse said, “Patriotism is the desire to protect the power in a society by way of increasing the power of a society.” So, today is very patriotic, but it celebrates people who broke free from patriotism in favor of independence.
A patriot would have just paid their taxes to the king.
It’s not about obedience and compliance, those are easy, and not worth celebrating.
It’s not about turning the flag into swim trunks either.
Independence means breaking free from values passed down from grandparents who didn’t know any better, shaking loose from regulations on loan from power-hungry politicians, and turning your back on morals poorly translated from ancient books.
Introspection and empathy are the new guardrails.
Independent thought.
Today celebrates the people that pulled together and did it better.
Independent. Self-supported. Competent. In our thoughts and in our actions. Not thoughts and prayers.
All those habits and traditions cloud our ability to see what is right, in favor of what is.
Desires distract, often trading the WE for the ME.
If you live in the US or anywhere else, and you do, spend the day considering what unpatriotic changes you can make.
Not anarchy. Advancement.
Becoming independent from ideas planted in your head early and solidified with hand-over-the-heart pledges of allegiance.
If you were in charge, and you are, what would you do to improve things?
More freedom or less?
More representation or less?
More choice or less?
More compassion or less?
Of course, it’s your choice. It’s Independence Day.
