Happy Fourth of July. Our nation’s independence. It’s a big deal. I don’t think we feel it today like generations did in the past. The significance of it is likely lost on many of us. Those that fought in wars have a different type of appreciation for the Fourth of July but there are so many fewer of them today than there were. In 1980, about twenty percent of our population had served in the military. Today that number is closer to six percent. And less than three percent of our adult population has ever seen combat. This is all from ChatGPT, by the way. So, the veterans that have a special connection to July Fourth are such a small, small group. To most of us, today is a day where we sleep in a bit, get outside a bit, and hope to end the night with all ten fingers intact after shooting fireworks. We’ll certainly see those stories on social media tomorrow. Please don’t let it be you.
And in our remarkably divided country, both sides will make passionate speeches about liberty and freedom. Both sides will make claims that they’re defending the country from evil, which is the other party. Both sides will get cheers for their stances and jeer at the other party for theirs. Both sides are convinced the other side is the root of nearly every problem from dud firecrackers to eczema to their bike’s flat tire.
“What do I do about this?”, I asked a friend last week. “What is my responsibility to this turmoil, to this hate?” She lives and works in New York City and had her non-profit’s funding was eliminated. Her answer was simple. “Go talk to people,” she said. Simply try to be a nice person. Try to understand. Maybe we will see the humanity in the other person and, we hope, they’ll see it in us.
Another I spoke to this week said he believes in pendulum swings and right now the pendulum has swung far in one direction. And just like a pendulum, the momentum can only last so long before it stops and reverses course.
We celebrate July 4th for the bold decisions that led to the world we live in today, but in 1776 as much as thirty percent of the population opposed independence, and as much as forty percent didn’t care one way or the other. Again, all of this is the courtesy of my new best friend, ChatGPT. So, in 1776, a minority of our nation, about forty five percent, made cataclysmic decisions that we live with today. There must have been very heated discussions, massive assumptions about those they disagreed with. However, to be able to discuss the direction our country is going in, to have a role in it, however small, I think we can agree, is a privilege.
So today, for me, I’m going to focus on my good fortune to live in a place where I have some small input into our nation’s direction. Though I feel like honesty, civility, and character are out of fashion right now, I believe the pendulum will eventually swing back. And, perhaps, I can speed up its return by having some sincere conversations with people I disagree with.
Consider joining me, please. Let’s do this together.
I’m Cam Marston, and I’m just trying to Keep it Real.
