Summer’s major holiday, July 4th has come and gone, yet perhaps a bit of reflection surrounding our nation’s birthday is due. With a multitude of historical documentaries bombarding the airwaves reminding us of the sacrifices made, all in the name of freedom, one question need be asked: Did we learn from our mistakes and those of others? Simply put, is history destined to repeat itself?
As a product of the “anti-establishment” hippie generation, we were the people that sought answers to this question. Moshe Dayan, an Israeli military leader and politician, who became a crusader for peace once said, “Freedom IS the oxygen of the soul.” Quite the profound statement and a true testament to ALL mankind. A mirror image of our great country, America, freedom in all its grandeur, has many faces. The United States, our country, our community, is a unique mass of inhabitants with dreams, hopes, opinions and beliefs just a diverse. We live, work, worship and socialize where we choose, we speak without fear of condemnation, we heartily disagree with those not sharing our views, but will defend their right to do just that.
As we gathered together this recent July 4th, sharing laughter, food and a lively round of golf, a sense of warmth consumed my inner being. Not the kind of warmth associated with this tropical paradise, but a warmth akin to pride. “There is something magnificent is having a country to love” says American born poet James Russell Lowe,. We say “thank you, Mr. Lowe, that goes for community as well,” and by the way, Happy Birthday America!
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