Hope on the Fourth of July
The Fourth of July has always meant more to me than hotdogs, fireworks and a trip to my favorite lake in Northwestern Iowa. It has always symbolized something bigger — always symbolized some type of promise renewed or rebirth. My grandfather was a World War II veteran and patriotism coursed through his veins thicker than religion or family. But it wasn’t the zealous ‘patriotism’ of those who wear American Flag chubbies and scream “U.S.A.!” while they chug beers, or those who demand their old dixie flag hangs next to the stars and stripes with no sense of irony.
His was a quiet patriotism. He never met a stranger and took pride in being able to meet and connect with people from all walks of life. His patriotism believed in the power of hard work and working together. His patriotism dictated that the only way through is together.
And so, this type of American patriotism is something that was instilled in me. One Independence Day in the 1990’s, I wrote a short speech and delivered it at our family beach party.
I had apparently shown it to grandpa, and he kept it and sent it back a few years later with a little note that said “get your parents to read this.”
I’ve always been a little scared to reread it. I was worried that it would be filled with platitudes and bad writing (and yes, those elements were definitely present) but there was a line that I wrote then, one that I still truly believe — despite our past successes and failures, when it comes to American democracy “the best is yet to come.”
I think that if you’re going to love and believe in something as radical and imperfect as religion or the United States of America, you’ve really got to have a strong sense of doubt. And in my short three decades, I’ve had a lot of tough questions whether our republic is worth it, or God is real (and if so, even really worth it either). And after some really intense periods of examination, my answer is still “yes” and “the best is yet to come.”
But that belief does not mean that I think it’s perfect. Far from it. There are many worthy and correct criticisms of both. But by only engaging in either exultation or criticism, we will never meet our ideals. Fear and nostalgia don’t move us forward. Too many Americans worship the United States without reflection or acknowledgement of deeply ingrained injustices, waving their flags while relishing their ignorance and rejection of our true history. And those who reject the principles of America because it was founded by privileged and deeply flawed people — who not only failed to meet the ideals they laid out on paper, but enthusiastically denied liberty for all — seem to have forgotten the hope that is America.
We are an imperfect people, in an imperfect world, grappling with our position in the past, present, and future. And, largely, we have forgotten the courage it takes to turn toward each other and confront the hard realities we live in. We find it’s easier to absolve ourselves from responsibility than it is to embrace the necessary unease that comes with the hard conversations that must occur to move us forward together. We desperately want and need that perfected ideal of America, but we forget that it takes a strong and active faith to make it so.
We forget that the Declaration was not the result of a unanimous call for liberty, but a contentious battle between deeply flawed human beings. And we forget that it was by no means an assured victory.
And now, in 2016, we act like no matter our actions, our country will go on without end. We don’t vote. We tell our children that public service is the last thing they should consider for their career. We complain about our leaders but don’t step up to lead. We surround ourselves in the false safety of those who only share our opinions and beliefs and physical features. We forget the everyday sacrifice it takes to keep this place together.
There is no guarantee that the United States will continue to exist unless we continuously choose to make it possible. And, as it has been proven over and over, it will not be the actions of a foreign power that conquer us, but a house divided.
My grandfather was a flawed man. He was stubborn. He once told me that he didn’t think a woman could lead our country. At times, it seemed that he believed denial would protect him from the end. But I loved him anyway and carry the best parts of him inside me.
His mistakes shape me just as his love did. And I resolve to carry on and strive for his ideals, even if he never fully measured up to them himself.
And I resolve to do that, too, for the nation and the people I love. The story of the United States is not a moment in time and history. It’s the collective story of all of its people, of all of its injustice and triumphs of liberty.
And, history is hindsight. That’s why we are required to have a vision like that within the Declaration. On this July 4th, we must not idealize the past, but at the same time, not let it keep us from striving to reach a more perfect future.
