An Unfamiliar Appreciation

According to my watch, it's closing in on 1:00 am and that makes it, officially, the Fourth of July. I've long been one who finds chest-thumping nationalism both offensive and dangerous, but that's not what I think the Fourth of July is, or should be, about.

What's important about the Fourth of July is that it acknowledges and appreciates the actions of a group of brave people who, despite their human frailties and imperfect attempts to achieve justice, did in fact create a form of government that has endured for more than 200 years and has made the lives of many, many people better for it.

This Fourth of July, though, we're saddled with a President who cannot understand the fundamental principles of democracy. We're dealing with a set of wars of our own making that, regardless of the arguments made in their support, are examples of what can go wrong when democracy fails. We're facing a world that, because of the wreckless arrogance of the sitting President and the mistakes of several of his predecessors, loathes us and much of what it appears we stand for. This Fourth of July we're confronted with an example of what can happen when the worst aspects of religion are allowed to mold public policy, both here and abroad. In the USA and in countries across the globe, terrorism (or whatever you call it) is striking fear into the hearts of millions.

In spite of all this, I think the fundamental concepts that were codified by the men who brought a new breed of democracy to life remain valid. Certainly, their ideas of democracy have been adapted over the years to recognize changes in the world and to correct mistakes in the original ideas upon which modern democracy is based. The world largely acknowledges (though there remain horrible examples that the world still has dangerous holdouts) that women deserve an equal place in democracy and, indeed, the world. Slavery has been clearly labeled as inhuman by most of humanity. But there is still so much inequality yet to be quelled. There is so much to do.

The Fourth of July and the people who gave birth to this country, the USA, should be celebrated today. Our independence should be celebrated. The ideals upon which this country are based should be celebrated. We may disagree about what constitutes democracy. We may argue that capitalism and democracy are, when paired together, murderous. We may argue that democracy is still an experiment destined for failure. The point is this: we can argue. We can disagree. We can publicly castigate people in power when we realize the people we (or our fellow citizens) elected to high office are incompetent, ape-like, stupid, and dangerous.

All of the negatives can be viewed as positives...not as positives we want to keep, but as examples of why there is still hope. We live in a decidedly imperfect world and in a decidedly imperfect country. There are misuses of power taking place from morning to night. There are huge chasms between the haves and have-nots in this country. There is systemic corruption that seems insurmountable. There are systemic problems that make it appear, sometimes, that we cannot solve the problems of race and religion and poverty and education and on and on and on.

We should still celebrate. Wave the flag. Appreciate. Despite its many, many faults, this country of ours has enormous potential. But we have to be careful with it. And we have to look beyond our own borders when we are looking for people to help. Because if we help people worldwide who need help, our efforts to quell the religious zealots and their supporters will be more successful...the world will continue to improve...and we can solve the problems of humankind and of the earth. At least the Fourth of July gives us an opportunity to be hopeful, if we'll just take it.