An attempt at a non-cliched Independence Day comment
Every July 4, people from both sides of the aisle made some outrageous, ginormous statements regarding Independence Day and what it means to them, their families, America, etc. Those on the Left use it to say it is a day to promote the great freedoms we have today, and then devolves into a discussion on their “civil right” du jour or a rant about how the Declaration wasn’t so hot after all. Conservatives use it to chide America for going too far away from what the founders intended or reminding us of their sacrifice.
Obviously, today is a big deal. But ultimately, it’s a big birthday party, and you know how those can wind up. It all depends on how old you are to determine what the appropriate celebration should be. So if America was a person who lived to 100, how old is it, really? Once we know that, we’ll know how to celebrate it.
There’s the easy equation of 1 year per decade, which would put us at around 23 years old (and also guarantee a millennium of existence, which is nice). But that seems too easy.
Consider that America is at least into double digits. Think back to your birthdays of 1-10. The first couple were pointless to celebrate, because you were too busy filling up your diaper to know what was going on. After that, you knew you got gifts and had cake, but you had no other grip on what the celebration was all about. The parties had to be supervised and the invite list was fairly limited (at least, for me, the number was capped at who could fit in my parents’ basement). You also relied on the gifts you got because you couldn’t go out and buy them for yourself.
America is also likely past its teen years. I feel like that no-holes barred attitude got out of its system sometime between the California Gold Rush and Teddy Roosevelt charging San Juan Hill. And then of course there were those rebellious years of 1860-65.
The story then gets complicated depending on your version of history in the 20th Century, as well as your idea of what a 21st birthday party ought to look like. (I’m also working on the assumption that your 21st should be your best… not some “40 is the new 30″ garbage).
Was America’s 21st at the end of World War II? Soon thereafter, it became mired down by competing with the Soviet Union. Not exactly an example of having the “time of your life.” That competition might be a reflection on the current competition in the job market most people our age face.
Maybe America’s 21st birthday was Vietnam. We meant to enjoy ourselves and continue our dominance and seeming invincibility. Instead, it left America in pretty bad shape at the end of the night (as many 21st birthdays are apt to end). Even so, could it have been a quarter life crisis following the WWII 21st? Like most quarter-life crises, it was mostly brought on by the demons inside one’s head (in this case, media, radical activism, etc).
Perhaps America is a bit younger, and the big 21st came in 1989, as the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc countries collapsed and rid themselves of Communism.
This exercise may seen silly, but its important to recognize that no one lives forever. What we do to celebrate birthdays as people live on longer and longer differs based on what year it is. Partying too hard at 60 is a surefire way to not make it far enough to collect Social Security. Likewise, not celebrating enough when you’re young might wind up turning you into a boring old man too soon.
I’m not going to go on some fatalist rant about how American dominance is coming to an end, because it would simplify it too much. The life of America, like any life, has highs and lows, not simply a rise and a fall. Just because you’re riding high at 21 doesn’t mean that it’s all downhill from there (which some readers may find hard to believe). There’s still money to be earned, friends to meet, families to start, and then the chance to sit back and watch the children grow and do the same.
That is, of course, if you get to that contemplative stage in old age and don’t go out with bang sooner.
John Adams said “The second day of July, 1776, [the day most of the delegates signed the Declaration of Independence] 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 forever more.”
So we ought to celebrate Independence Day as Adams proclaimed, but also keeping in mind that we should consider each birthday a blessing, knowing that no one lives forever.
