A NEW FOURTH
We have a different Fourth of July to observe this year...a new one.
One doesn’t expect holidays to have a “new” quality about them. Most of them seem
to be celebrations of some event, memorable times, someone’s birthday, or for some other
reason such as Halloween. Seldom do we get one which is as flexible and this Fourth of July.
Let’s face it. The fact that the sentiment we call “patriotism” tends to wax and wane
with many people in this country.
That person who waves the flag one day, may well be among those who deride it a
few months later because they are in disagreement with the rest of the people on some
point which seems important at the moment. The exact opposite situation can be true as
well when we find people who have not been patriotic at all, suddenly, become primary
flag-wavers usually for personal reasons. We have all witnessed the changes which come
over an entire family when a son or daughter becomes a member of one of the nation’s
armed forces. The people who had never voiced much concern for the nation, are, suddenly,
transformed into people who are interested in so many portions of the nation’s well-being.
They tend to act out their patriotism as individuals and as a family unit, often in competition
with each other and kindred families when it comes to active participation on patriotic
affairs of the nation. One of the major influences of a young boy or girl joining the armed
forces is to be seen in the affect it has on the family back home.
We see July 4th in a new way each year, too, in that we are becoming, more than ever,
a polyglot people and new residents are added to our midst each year, often from cultures
quite distinct from our own. I was surprised to find just yesterday in the Harrisonburg (Va.)
“Daily-News-Record”, that our nearest city of around 30-thousand has ninety-six individuals
within it who are of Arab decent, eighty-eight are Portuguese, and eighty-seven came here
from Lithuania. It is good that the local paper makes such a comment on the diversity of our
local population, and I must get the Census report from which those random quotes were
selected.
It is increasingly important that we, each Fourth of July, must try to determine example
who we are and what we are becoming as of that moment. We need to make sure we grow
with the nation’s peoples to observe a common goal for all bound by a common good of
patriotic evaluation of our national blessings.
I always find it impressive to watch the special groups of newcomers taking the vows of
allegiance to the United States of America at Jefferson’s “Montecello”, and at other historic
sites on July 4th.
Listen and repeat after them - one and all.
A.L.M. July 4, 2002 [c489wds]
