Most around the world will say, “It’s just another day” but
to many it is so much more. There are
signs of its importance being compromised and marginalized but still to some no
matter what the changes the memories and challenges wrought through the
sacrifices of hundreds and thousands will never be completely forgotten.
In my humble part of the world those signs of conciliation are
well on their way. The traditional
fireworks display, reserved for the day of memory and celebration took place in
June, in JUNE, not even in July, and not even close to the day we call Independence Day.
I can understand some
wanting to have the festivities on a weekend but to forsake the holiday for the
convenience of scheduling only greases that slippery slope of complacency, sending
us all down the slide to oblivion.
Perhaps a little harsh but when you put into perspective the
great civilizations that have come and gone the record of destruction is a
perfect 100% and every single organized society had its beginning demise with
the small, seemingly insignificant oversights, those forgotten standards that
provided the ever so important glue that held the foundations of their beliefs.
No one really noticed, not generally speaking they don’t,
most simply want the convenience and the opportunity to have their cake and eat
it too, but the truth is, especially for you theorist who espouse the need for
an ever changing situation, a constitution that is fluid and variable to the
winds and whims of individual wants regardless of general consequences. What I want, I want and I don’t care who gets
hurt or what happens, I want what I want and I want it now!
Our fair city got what it wanted. It had its celebration, the fireworks went
off and lit the sky and all was pretty and spectacular from our bedroom window,
except it had no meaning, no basis or significance, it was only a shell, a plastic
covering of what used to be, a specter perhaps, unknowing to most but to those
few a harbinger of the eventual expiration of a passing greatness, replaced
with an expediency rather than the sacrifice it might have taken to actually celebrate
on the prescribed day.
America is not alone with this attitude, virtually every
country has its excuses to alter, exchange and minimize the memories of what
made that country great. It is the relativistic attitudes of those who
truly don’t care or those who are hell bent on changing, slowly shifting what
is important to the marginal areas of “does it really matter”.
There was a country western song by Aaron Tippon, “you've
got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything ...” beliefs matter,
traditions matter and when and how we do things matter, even if it’s something
simple like when we celebrate the 4th of July.
We need to take a stand, make a statement, stick to our
beliefs and be unmoving in our devotion so that when tomorrow comes we will
still have something to believe in. When
we make a stand, hunker down and decide to live a certain way we are telling ourselves
that we believe in ourselves, we believe in God and that what we’ve done and
what we’re doing is important.
Our beliefs are under attack, our faith is threatened and
our freedoms are being forfeit for the conveniences of others who do not share
the same level of commitment or who have never understood the need for sacrifice. It is only though sacrifice that we can truly
learn. Don’t let them take that away
from us!
I watched some of the fireworks but there was no context, no
perspective, no reason for the show of lights in the evening sky, it was
nothing more than a lack luster attempt to make everyone happy but in the end
it did nothing, created nothing and in fact only accomplished a level of
sorrow, a distracted level of patriotism and devotion to what used to be a
hallowed day reserved for memories and pride with the all-important shedding of
a few private tears of gratitude for the freedoms we had, freedoms hard fought
with sacrifice and ultimate loss.
For now it was just a few dollars spent to appease the crowds. A few token lights of fire to satisfy the need
for a holiday, but not on the designated day, that would be too much of a sacrifice. At least we still have Halloween, they never
change that day.
