Happy 4th of July, Americans!
Let’s be as independent as we can, each of us individually. Love our country, but not just our country. Be curious, in every sense (eccentricity is good). If we don’t care about the rest of the world—that is, don’t care enough to learn about other countries and other people on their own terms—then let’s not yap about it as if we do. Let’s not let those who make life comfortable for us make life miserable for them. And for God’s sake, let’s not act as if we have all the answers. Let’s ask better questions.
It’s still a lovely place, the USA, 230 years after the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. But we have our work cut out for us. Today let’s enjoy a barbecue, a ballgame, a paddle on the river, a public concert. Tomorrow it’s “Heave, ho!”
