As we fire up our grills this 4th of July, I can't help but to think of the hard challenges we are facing as a nation. Continued unemployment, a shrinking economy, and the threat of war abroad make this 4th seem a bit bleak. Recent polls seem to indicate that we feel worse about ourselves as a nation and less certain about our place in the world as the greatest nation on Earth. Let me share with you the things that I will be celebrating this 4th. I hope you find it uplifting.
1. The Framers
The 4th of July is principally about the men and women who bravely forged this country and provided us the framework for growth that continues to work effectively even in today's modern world. The Declaration of Independence is a remarkable document that represents the climactic amalgamation of decades of Enlightenment thinking. Jefferson declared on behalf of a nation that "natural law" transcends government decree or the power of a King to dictate law. Natural law comes from a "Creator," and the rights conferred upon us are inalienable. This is as apt a statement today as it was then and perfectly demonstrates the true vision that was needed to forge this nation. Government, such that it is, has no rights of its own. Its only purpose is to protect those natural rights provided to us by God.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of government is no longer focused on that seminal mission. As the population of our nation has grown, so has the government. But what has remained fairly uniform is the number of representatives from whom we have to choose to redress any perceived wrongs. It is hard to believe that the Framers would have anticipated a nation of 315 million people, spanning the continent, and being governed by only 535 federal legislators. Power has become increasingly reserved for the elite.
We should never lose sight of the fact that power in and of itself does not make one extraordinary. A powerful man is just that - powerful. President Obama is a powerful American. John Boehner is a powerful American. But these men are not necessarily extraordinary Americans.
The extraordinary American is the man who drags himself to a second shift at the plant so he can put food on the table, pay for $4 gas, and maybe, one day, help his kid get to college.
The extraordinary American is the single mother who jumps out of bed in the morning, feeds her kids, takes them to school, goes to work, does her job, stops by the store on the way home, fixes dinner and then puts her children to bed.
The extraordinary American is Cpl. William Carpenter, who selflessly threw himself on a Taliban grenade during a fierce battle in Afghanistan, saving his fellow Marines.
Power is fleeting. True greatness is not.
2. Family and Friends
The foundation of any society is the social bonds we forge. Family is the cornerstone, but community is the key to keeping us together. The diversity of our communities is staggering, but we will all be celebrating our unique American culture. We will be talking about many of the same things, eating the same uniquely American foods, and probably drinking any number of uniquely American drinks.
In my mind, we really aren't that different. We want the same things for our children, for example, and while we can disagree on how to achieve those things, in America, the good ideas eventually rise to the top. As Americans, we always seem to be in conflict over what we know is right with what we wish was right. We know we can't save every starving child in the world, but we wish we could. We know we can't ensure that everyone is successful, but we wish they could be. In the end, most of us proceed with the best of intentions towards our fellow Americans. I will celebrate that this 4th.
3. The Free Exchange of Ideas
I learned as a young man that the free exchange of ideas will make my good ideas better and help me cull the bad ideas from my thought process. No one person has all the answers. We need to be able to debate, sometimes fiercely, in an effort to identify the best solution to any given problem.
I also learned that in order to effectively exchange ideas, you must have an environment that fosters that exchange. When people talk over one another, hate each other, engage in ad hominem attacks, or silence dissent, the environment turns cold, authoritarian and ultimately unproductive. In that environment, only the loud ideas are heard, communicated by loud people. Advocates latch onto a cause and are unwilling to consider any other suggestion.
As the Framers met in the months prior to July 4th to debate the Declaration of Independence, there were fierce exchanges. I have no doubt that there were advocates, and that not all the exchanges were constructive. Nevertheless, a document was forged that fundamentally changed the way the governed of the world would see their governors.
If the Declaration of Independence were to be debated today, it would never have been written. We are governed by a body of elites who have no idea what it's like to be a single mom, or work an extra shift in the factory. The governed, do not appear to me anyway, to be represented by today's government.
I blame that on the fact that we are not, really, free to exchange ideas. When a school child cannot find the Tea Party, or the "republican party," or "GOP" on their school's internet because those sites have been censored - we are not free. When a vet can't watch FoxNews in the VA because they choose to block it - we are not free. When books are banned - we are not free. When a single idea or ideology is taught - we are not free.
Voltaire famously said: "I may not necessarily agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." Our nation was founded, in part, on that principle. We should celebrate it just as others have fought and died to protect it.
Happy 4th of July to you and your family from the Stuart family. Thanks for reading.
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