Mirth and Motivation

“Freedom is not won on the battlefields. The chance for freedom is won there. The final battle is won or lost in our hearts and minds.” Helen Gahagan Douglas

Motivation Mondays: July 4th – 250th Independence Day Revisited

Happy Independence Day! How did we reach Independence Day? 250 years ago, on July 4, 1776, the forefathers commemorated the adoption of the US Declaration of Independence; it was an auspicious day filled with optimism for the future of this newly birthed, great nation. It signified the birth of the United States of America and the liberation of her original thirteen colonies from British rule. The actual legal separation occurred on the 2nd, not the 4th. July 4th is the date the documents were ratified, and the circuitous journey that many took to arrive on this new land in search of a new life reached a milestone.

On the 4th, we spend this day joyfully setting off fireworks, attending parades, and enjoying picnics with friends and family. We must all stay motivated to ensure that our Independence remains for all generations, and we do that by staying active in our communities and local government, and by voting. Our freedoms aren’t free; we must work to maintain them. Let us not forget that this is a nation built on the backs of millions who had a dream of a better life; of gaining personal freedom.

This year, for America’s 250th birthday, we planned to celebrate the day quietly with a focus on offering prayers for peace: personal, national, and global peace. I used to prepare a big festive meal and host a gathering for friends when the kids were little, but these days we don’t celebrate in quite the same way. We have a small family affair with maybe a few friends over. It is still a happy occasion but different. Living in a democratic nation means we are protected from chaos and anarchy, and enjoy other protections under the law. I think it is important to remember, on this day, the value of freedom, independence, and peaceful coexistence in the world.

On July 3, 1776, John Adams, reflecting on the signing of the US Declaration of Independence, wrote to his wife, Abigail, forecasting how the day would be observed:
“The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America.
I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.
It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.
It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore.”

America The Beautiful – A Poem for July 4. By Katharine Lee Bates via Wikipedia
O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness,
And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

America By Claude McKay via poetryfoundation
Although she feeds me bread of bitterness,
And sinks into my throat her tiger’s tooth,
Stealing my breath of life, I will confess
I love this cultured hell that tests my youth.
Her vigor flows like tides into my blood,
Giving me strength erect against her hate,
Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood.
Yet, as a rebel fronts a king in state,
I stand within her walls with not a shred
Of terror, malice, not a word of jeer.
Darkly I gaze into the days ahead,
And see her might and granite wonders there,
Beneath the touch of Time’s unerring hand,
Like priceless treasures sinking in the sand.

“We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it.” William Faulkner

Motivation Mondays: July 4th – 250th Independence Day Revisited

What does celebrating Independence Day really mean? I know many people see this as a day off work, a day to chill out and eat a ton of food, or even to catch up on the fireworks with friends and family. While all of those reasons are fine, this day is really about remembering the value of our liberties; our rights to choose, live, congregate, speak out, and more. The gatherings remind us of the importance of our personal freedom; our right to gather and enjoy a meal with others without being under siege. Independence Day is also a reminder that many fought for us to provide a safe haven for our kids and loved ones; it means we uphold our rights to maintain a democratic process and that we don’t want to live in a war zone, under Censorship, a new McCarthyism, or suffer through restrictions like food rationing.

Why does Independence Day give us an opportunity to dream BIGGER and aim for huge goals? Before I moved to the USA, my impression of it was that it was a nation where everything seemed larger than life. Americans have big personalities, big cars, big houses, and a huge belief in the greatness of this nation. While some might disagree with this observation, it is what many on the outside see, and that becomes an attraction to folks who imagine pushing the boundaries of their lives. In many nations around the world, strict social hierarchies make it almost impossible to move between socioeconomic classes. If you are born into a certain group or class, your path is X.

While some can push beyond those boundaries, not enough do, and that makes the USA a fascinating country to move to. Of course, moving here offers no guarantees, but many have been able to transcend the limitations they faced in their native lands. The point is that we can adopt the same big dreams in our lives, and in our native lands, and support leaders who want the best for all their people. If our leaders’ dreams are not altruistic and only self-serving, nothing will change. But we can do our bit by dreaming bigger too and by embracing the process it takes to reach our goals.

The Star-Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key via poets.org
O say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming;
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, now conceals, now discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines on the stream;
‘Tis the star-spangled banner; O long may it wave
O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave,
From the terror of flight and the gloom of the grave;
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave!
O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land,
Praise the power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just.
And this be our motto— “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave.

The Congressional Library [excerpt] By Amy Lowell via poets.org
Where else in all America are we so symbolized
As in this hall?
White columns polished like glass,
A dome and a dome,
A balcony and a balcony,
Stairs and the balustrades to them,
Yellow marble and red slabs of it,
All mounting, spearing, flying into color.
Color round the dome and up to it,
Color curving, kite-flying, to the second dome,
Light, dropping, pitching down upon the color,
Arrow-falling upon the glass-bright pillars,
Mingled colors spinning into a shape of white pillars,
Fusing, cooling, into balanced shafts of shrill and interthronging light.
This is America,
This vast, confused beauty,
This staring, restless speed of loveliness,
Mighty, overwhelming, crude, of all forms,
Making grandeur out of profusion,
Afraid of no incongruities,
Sublime in its audacity,
Bizarre breaker of moulds,
Laughing with strength,
Charging down on the past,
Glorious and conquering,
Destroyer, builder,
Invincible pith and marrow of the world,
An old-world remaking,
Whirling into the no-world of all-colored light.

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