Meaning of the 4th

My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. It was not always that, but became my favorite after I gave up on the mystery of Christmas. I guess it is an adult thing. The mythology surrounding Christmas, Santa Claus, the Elves and all, became a burden. Once relegated to the attic of memories, adult thinking took over.


Thanksgiving is about relationships, primarily family. Then close friends who are very much like family.


Relationships. Interaction of people one at a time, and then in small groups. The growing reality of networked relationships. More and more people drawn into the circle of relationship.


Let’s see, New Years is a fond farewell to a year just completed, and a joyous welcome to a new year of opportunity and fresh starts. Easter is a time we encounter new beginnings, but from a much more personal space. The meaning of life is begged at Easter. What’s it all about? Why are we here on this planet? The struggle is proof of existence, but the why eludes us.


Memorial Day recalls the sacrifice of those who gave their all for the safety and well-being of others, known and unknown. The Fourth of July celebrates our independence as a nation, our striking out alone to build a future nation jointly envisioned by so many. Those founding fathers labored intently to get it right. The Declaration of Independence gave birth to the US Constitution. It took 11 years to get it right. Even then amendments were begged. The Bill of Rights came later, the first 10 amendments. And then other additions and shifts occurred yet later.


The 4^th of July, however, was the point of action, the decision to make our nation whole and separate.

This was done in the name of all Americans at a time when resources and population were scant. This was a time of hope. Of vision. Of dreams.


What followed was hard work. More sacrifice. More wars. Yet more dreaming and reaching for larger outcomes. We stretched our minds and our muscles. We worked toward something in need of belief and support. A new way of living was birthed. Not all pretty and perfect, but good bones to build a sound, workable future.


That future has unfolded pretty well. We are a beacon of hope and freedom to billions of people on this planet. It hasn’t always been a perfect future, but it is an unfinished project. We continue to reach for a more perfect union, a more perfect future. Seeking the better outcome is an ever present challenge.

The 4^th of July is my second favorite holiday. Thanksgiving shows gratefulness for each other in our close relationships. The 4^th of July celebrates our collaboration as fellow citizens to build a better future for all of us. The two holidays are linked. One is close and now; the other far reaching and hoping for what we can produce together.


Togetherness is not always smooth. Struggle marks our progress. Relationships are built and compromised enough to secure progress. Together, though, we plod toward our combined hope of a better world of opportunity and justice for all of us.


Our own wants and yearnings blind us to those of others. We compete for survival of body and mind. The struggle uncovers poor relationships and obstacles to progress. But the 4^th of July reminds us that we can be better than our divisions and seek the wholeness of promise.


Happy 4^th of July. Ponder the greater meaning of this holiday in America.


July 2, 2019