How may I treat this notable birthday of our nation? There is much cause for celebration. We are free in ways that other nations are not. Free to vote, free to speak, free to work and play, free for self-expression, free to pray and preach, free to serve, free to create. Many have defended this freedom with their lives. Many flock here because this is a place where opportunity swells. Even if adversity is met, our nation inspires many to take great risk to be here. Our nation has produced some of the most incredible innovators, thinkers, artists, poets. It has also fostered grounds for many less notable people to go on living quietly beautiful lives in their small communities. We would be parching ourselves to forget this.
At the same time, we would be bull-headed if not to mix our cheers with sorrows. If only to celebrate, we would birth a shaky future destined for repeatable woes. Equality is not easy to come by in any nation. The desire for ground to take has a way of twisting tales to achieve selfish gains. We founded a nation on the idea that all are created equal, but there was dissonance between our words and our actions. We couldn’t shake the sin of greed and power that we hoped to leave behind.
All these years later, we find ourselves in a divisive moment. Weary with a battle of ideologies. Sadly, there appear to be 2 acceptable viewpoints on any matter of substance today. Many have been caught in the realization that any curiosity in the matter or divergence from either of these 2 viewpoints is equal to compliance with the other.
It turns out that God is not a Republican or a Democrat, and never has been. To take that one step further, our political enemies may not be God’s enemies. Contrary to common political discourse today, “the Almighty has His own purposes” to quote Lincoln in his 2nd inaugural address. It is a worthy endeavor to keep on hoping in the good ends to which God wills and works. And it is a worthy discipline to live curiously about how these good ends may come to be, even if this curiosity requires a daring journey outside the base.
I have not named a host of matters that enflame these 2 sides for which we may have need to lament, for in this moment to name them would be to further enflame. You know what is lamentable if either from experience or knowledge or both. What is easily forgotten is what is worth celebrating and what hope endures.
Let’s celebrate 250 years of a lofty endeavor to create a host of freedoms for all. Many a nation has been founded on less. But we would be foolish to aim for anything less, and aim we will continue to do.