Looking at our country recently, there have been few things to be proud of. Honestly, we’ve been a mess on all sides of every divide. It seems that we have forgotten how to talk to each other without it coming to insults. This presidential election is tiring, with the same things being repeated until everyone has all of the numerous arguments pretty much memorized. The constant shouts of nationalism versus globalism have grown deafening.
With the 4th of July coming up, it is a time to be proud of our country, and believe it or not there are things to be proud of. No, America may not be the best, safest, or most well-balanced country, but I would argue all day that we are still pretty great.
Our national discourse has been extreme and our political divisions seem to never have been greater, but the majority of us still know how to stand together. The American people have seen great tragedy. We have seen numerous examples this year alone, and one major thing that has been seen as a result is our persistent knowledge of what it means to be a national community, what it means to stand together. Now there are still arguments on the ways to handle these tragedies, but our actions still echo a caring that should be cherished and remembered.
This Independence Day, we cannot look backwards. It is a day in which our predecessors in this democracy announced freedom for all people under the banner of the United States. Now we are still trying to truly and accurately translate that for all people, and we have made some momentous movements, but in a time in which the idea of the inherent rights of mankind not being protected by any national government, the American people were innovative, and we have proven that we still can be.
We can talk all day. The adjectives I have used in this article, have been contested by many in reference to many beliefs and opinions, yet these are merely my own, here’s the thing though we are a community. Come the 4th of July we will share a night sky being lit up by fireworks. We will sit there, each with our own reasons for being there, our own reasons for being proud of our nation, as well as our own ideas on what we think would make it better, together. Our neighbor may be voting for Donald Trump or they may be voting for Hillary Clinton but we must all be thankful for our ability to be here because so many have fought and so many have died to ensure our ability to do so.
I understand much of this is idealistic, and may be fairly disconnected from reality, but I do believe that disagreements shouldn’t be a cause for division, but rather a discussion. I have thrown my own insults. I have cast my own stones, but freedom and democracy demand much more from us. So let’s talk.
