I spent Saturday at a pre-Independence Day party hosted by a close friend of my nephew. Seven or eight families attended, almost all with two or three kids, ranging in age from infants to the oldest — my nephew Cole — age 5.
I spent a lot of time watching the kids in what must have seemed like paradise for them: a living room full of enough plastic toys to have it declared an EPA Superfund site; more than two acres of yard complete with a kiddie pool, a lavish sprinkler arrangement, a mini-playground, a wiffle baseball setup, squirt guns, a battery powered riding tractor and more.
Burgers, hot dogs, soda and juice, chips, macaroni and cheese, and desserts — and some yard-based fireworks — completed the ensemble.
With the exception of a few dustups over toy possession, the kids carried on admirably while mindful parents kept their distance and enjoyed the company of adults.
The All-American party passed comfortably.
I doubt that at any point any of the kids thought once about freedom and independence — even though they enjoyed both unfettered throughout the late afternoon and evening.
They did what they wanted when they wanted, respectful of each other and the guardians. At times, they swept in groups from one side of the sprawling yard to the other — like a herd of deer on an open field — displaying youthful speed, agility and energy — with an occasional header into the soft turf.
Independence Day celebrations have come and gone for 234 years. I know that during each, people have sat back and quietly watched children and wondered, “What kind of life lies ahead for them in this country? What kind of freedom will they enjoy? What sacrifices will they make in order to keep the freedom they have?”
During the party, I asked the same questions to myself.
I read a lot and hear a lot today from pundits about the imminent demise of our country — about a current and future generation shackled with debt and facing strangulation by government policy — and all the while led to the chains of socialism by a misguided political agenda.
Dire predictions for sure but from my vantage point — on a lawn chair in the shade at a backyard cookout sipping a beer and beholding the beauty of freedom — predictions that sorely underestimate the greatness of our country and the depth of its willingness and ability to always protect what makes it different and better than any country in the world.
Resources:
- http://research.history.org/pf/index.cfm
- http://www.history.org/media/podcasts/122908/WeHoldTheseTruths.cfm
- http://www.serendipity.li/jsmill/jsmill.htm
- http://www.dojgov.net/Liberty_Watch.htm
- http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2003/07/07/editorial2.html
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