Brian’s Perspective - Old Blog

I am sitting in the waiting area at Gateway Tires in Senatobia, waiting for my car to get its oil changed. They are really busy…maybe because it is the end of the month. Probably because we (Americans!) are about to start the July 4th weekend and everyone is going to take a trip to Grandma’s or some other special place. People will be going to the lake or to the park. Some will go over to a friend’s or their family’s home for cookouts. Some will be setting off fireworks–depending on where they live. Everyone is celebrating the time off from work.

I wonder why they celebrate? Do we celebrate just because we can get together with our friends and family, or do we celebrate the fact that people long ago fought and died so that we could live in this country, a democracy that values, freedom and individual contribution. I bet most of us never think about who went before us so that we could be free. Even with the war in Iraq and the incessant reminder each evening on CNN and Fox the fact that War, death, courage, victory, and self-sacrifice made our way of life possible. That way of life, cultured over the years by the countless sacrifice and courage of thousands, gives us the opportunity to do all of the things we enjoy. But to link the fact that I can get my oil changed here in Senatobia with the sacrifice of others, well, it seems so distant and unlikely.

We think we got here by our own efforts. It was me who worked, who earned a paycheck, who is now able to pay to have my oil changed. Paul Revere had nothing to do with this. It is me who determined to go to school and further my education and because of my decision, I am able to have a better job. That soldier who lost his life last week after having been butchered had nothing to do with this. It is this selfish attitude that breeds contempt for others, a contempt that prevents me from seeing others points of view. This attitude breeds hate, fear, distrust. It is this emphasis on my, myself and I that is causing the real problems in our world. But if I pause for a moment and I think about what America would be like if it had never had a Declaration of Independence, I realize that all of the things we hold as true, the values we cherish–honor, courage, fearlessness, leadership, sacrifice–those values may not have developed if we had never declared them into existence. From that declaration to industrialization and improvement and education, America has become what she is.¹ I, in fact, when I am having my oil changed, am participating in a long history of events, each one contributing to the outcome of the next. I stand on the shoulders of those who have passed on before me, who have made the selfless sacrifice for me and my family. When I pause, I realize I am part of something bigger than myself, and that turns my thinking from an inward focus, to an outward focus. I am less interested in how much stuff I have, and more interested in how my neighbor is getting along. In this, we become more like those who paved the way for our country.

This year I celebrate the 4th of July with renewed appreciation for what my fellow Americans have done for me. I am going to tell my boys stories about George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. I am going to find out that soldiers name that died last week and we will say a prayer for he and his family.

This should be why we celebrate.

1. I know that there are countless things America has done that are not good. I am not saying we are without faults, just that the good things we have are a result of many, many people’s sacrifices and contributions.[↩]