CELEBRATE!

 

Today we celebrate the birth of our great nation.  The nation created and continued by the sweat of the brow of many great Americans.  In my lifetime alone, I have seen multiple wars with men going off to fight for the cause of freedom.  I have seen attacks from within--and the outrage over them.  I have seen planes used as missiles filled with the innocent bring down symbols of the American success with such passion that personal life was sacrificed on the alter of hatred.  We are loved, we are hated, we are envied, we are held in disdain, we can be your best ally or your worst enemy, but today---we are still at the top of the list of nations governed by democratic governments.  People risk their lives to become a part of this great experiment--jump through hoops, ride atop trains, swim across rivers, walk long distances--for the chance to live here.

And yet, we are squabbling, at each others' throats, voicing our outrage, and some even giving up on it ever being right.  The problem with a democracy and the beauty of a democracy is everyone can voice their opinion.  And, to me, that opinion seems to be centered on what is wrong--not what is right.  It seems such a shame to have the world as our stage as we attack, back bite, and step all over our fellow man to get what we think is right.  We seem to have lost our sense of honor in disagreeing.  We can no longer politely disagree and allow the majority to rule---we are on a mission to destroy the "other side".

What if----we divided the country in segments---and each political persuasion could take a section.  Only those who lined up with the politics, religion, ethnicity, and all other forms of philosophy could live in each segment.  What then would become of the rule of moderation?  If we were never challenged by those who think differently would we then live in a totalitarian society?  Are we threatened by those who disagree because our own philosophies are on shaky ground?

Food for thought today as we celebrate the home of the free.  As for me, I am thankful for those who agree and strengthened by the discord with those who disagree.  I am thankful to live where healthy debate is not only tolerated, but encouraged.  I am thankful for a beautiful nation with every terrain and climate imaginable.  I am thankful if I am not happy-I am free to seek my happiness by the freedom to move about.  AND I am thankful for the many men and women who over the centuries have fought that I might have the right to express my opinions in a public forum with no fear of punishment.  

God Bless American---The Land That I Love!

"Blessed is the nation

whose God is the Lord"

Psalm 33:12