Commentary: July 4, our Independence Day holiday, has become the unofficial launch of the Summer season. In an age when more and more Americans are working longer hours for less pay and having stress elevated to unhealthy levels, it is imperative to have days like this to unplug and unwind. And for many, holidays are one of the few occasions during the year when you might have all of your family members in the same place at the same time for a few moments.
But as we all learned in school, there is a historical significance to the fourth day in July. This was a rare occasion when an upstart group of independently minded folks decided to tell a big bully empire of the day back off and leave them alone. Of course, the empire did not take kindly to this and vigorously worked to get those obstinate upstarts to fall back in line. But the upstarts wouldn’t, and so Independence Day was born.
But do we realize that in today’s world, declaring independence is now obsolete? In a world where politicians and corporations are enrolling us all into a single huge global social, economic, and geopolitical blob, independence of any kind is vigorously discouraged. In 1776, it was possible to stand up and declare freedom from outside interference. But no more. Outside interference is the default setting in everything we do, see, and experience. Singular-minded corporations control our media, internet, phone communication, food supplies, energy supplies, vehicles, our ideas, and just about everything else. And as divided as our two entrenched political parties want to appear, they always agree that any and all independence by third parties must thoroughly be stamped out.
So while you’re enjoying the good smells coming from the outdoor grill or enjoying that parade or watching the ball game or looking at pretty colors exploding into the night sky, give a thought to that day long ago when independence mattered. Isn’t it great to live in our modern age when messy things like independence have no place anymore?