When I was very young I was taken to parades every July 4th. This was in the 40s just after World War II. There were bands of all kinds and military people and equipment of all kinds. I loved the exciting music, especially the drums providing the foundation for the rest of the instruments. And when the parade ended we always went to the cemetery for a few patriotic speeches and some prayers for those who served, lost their lives, and all who helped in the war effort. This was in a small steel town in Ohio, Middletown USA. Oh for those days.
After the cemetery we went home and changed to our swimsuits for the rest of the days’ water games and picnics with BBQ’d whatever, usually dogs and burgers. This was always enjoyable, a bit like living in Mayberry on TV. As I grew older I was able to participate in the parades first of all by marching with my troop in the Boy Scouts, and later in McKinley Junior High and then Middletown High School by marching with their respective bands as a trombone player. Just try playing a wind instrument while pounding the pavement for a couple of mile parade. (the trombone section always ruled). But we still ended up at the cemetery to celebrate God and country and to remember. This all sounds simple, and it was, but as in all reminiscing we just hit the high points., the good parts. Without our present technological advantages life was much more difficult.
When I was young I experienced some of the difficulties vicariously. I was like a sponge for other people’s emotions. Probably an empath. This is also probably the reason that I began to read books voraciously. They provided an escape. And I took advantage of this in a big way through the library (I would leave with armfuls of books), my mother’s books (from a book club), and newspapers, magazines and periodicals. This has become a way of life for me now into my 80s, though now not so much an escape, but for enjoyment and information of all kinds. I am a certifiable “bibliophile!” And proud of it…
To return to my premise, all of us must find ways to journey through our lives. This is what makes us individuals. Our lives are made up of the good times and the bad times. It is how we navigate the bumps in the roads of our lives that is most important. Most of us stay under the radar for our entire lives, and some of us become privileged and even excel. No matter how we proceed, we are faced with the occasional “fork in the road.” These choices are another factor that determines our individuality. Sometimes we are blessed and sometimes we make mistakes. None of us is perfect; no one is 100%. This is what makes us human. When we fall down we must “pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and start all over again.” (as the song goes)… This is called growth. It is also a human trait.
Through all of the above, we must also develop a sense of right and wrong, a conscience. This might seem to be necessary and ubiquitous and human, but, as I have noticed in my extensive reading and lifelong habit of people watching, this is not so. There are sociopaths among us who have no sense of right or wrong, sensitivity to others, or conscience. A large part of these people are in politics, government bureaucracy and unions of all kinds. Most are far-left leaning liberals who are also self-serving socialists who are unpatriotic and un-American. They would like to change our way of life and our freedoms to the sheeplike control of our lives and our minds.
July 4th is when we celebrate our freedoms and our independence; our freedom to think, to oppose radical views, to insist upon our Constitution as the foundation for our government and our governing bodies. When this becomes diseased, we must cure it. When there is rot in the tree of life, it must be excised. We must insist on free, unfettered and legal elections and a free press that is free to express both sides of all issues. We must insist on our freedoms and celebrate them every day. Not just on July 4th. This is our legacy for our children and our grandchildren. Freedom to celebrate our God and our country: the United States of America. God Bless America…!