This Fourth of July, we woke up a little freer than the last. Whether you agree or disagree with the Supreme Court’s decision about same-sex marriage or the Affordable Care Act, more people have access to benefits only a portion of the population could receive beforehand. We as Americans are in the middle of a great change in this country, and I think we all feel it. And we will always rise to the challenge of changing things.
July 4, 1776, a small group of great men challenged the ideas of a tyrannical government. They risked their lives and the lives of many others to spread new, radical ideas—the ideas of a government led by the people it served. They had the idea that all people were granted certain rights simply because they’re people, and that those people had every right to change their government if they didn’t like it. These men didn’t like their government, so they challenged it, changed it, and led the foundation of a more perfect union, and each year we’re a little more perfect.
We may not be the best at everything, but we have the attitude to be the best. We were founded on the idea that we could make things better. We’re eternal optimists and have the notion that even if we aren’t the greatest country in the world, we can be because we’re Americans. We grow up being taught that we live in the greatest country in the world because no matter where you come from, you can be the best at what you do, and that the individual has the power to change minds and even change the world. We’re Americans, so we can do anything and everything we set our minds to, and if we don’t succeed at something the first time, we’ll try until we do. We put men on the moon, won two World Wars, and have continued to make great technological advances the world could never have dreamed of.
And we’re surrounded by cynicism, but as a society we know we can always do better. We know we can always reinvent ourselves. We know that if something bad happens to us, we’ll come back full force. We band together when times are hard, and we band together to celebrate our achievements. So even if we aren’t the best at everything, we are the best at that. God bless America, and Happy Fourth of July.
