4th of July

Celebrating Freedom – Day 965

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Screenshot of Ring of Fire in Gulf of Mexico – Photo: L. Weikel (video CBS)

Celebrating Freedom

Interesting holiday we Americans (technically, we citizens of the United States) are celebrating this weekend (and particularly tomorrow, July 4th). The birth of our nation; the anniversary of the day we declared our independence from Great Britain. We’re supposed to be celebrating freedom and – perhaps paradoxically – unity.

As we approach our country’s 245th birthday tomorrow, I think it’s fair to say we’re at a crossroads of greater consequence than we were at just eight months ago. Don’t get me wrong – November 3rd (but more accurately, the election of 2020, since all votes weren’t cast on a single day in November) was of enormous consequence. I shudder to think what shape our country would be in had the election not been won by President Biden. (And I base that opinion on the shape we were in and the prospective devastation we were facing had circumstances simply stayed on track with the prior four years.)

But because of the unprecedented and shameless dissemination of propaganda across pretty much every expression of traditional and social media, and the confluence of this manipulation with a toxic combination of fear, hopelessness, cynicism, and despair, we’re a country teetering on the edge of self-destruction.

Last Year

Last year’s 4th of July celebration felt drastically different than any I’d celebrated up to that point. A major reason it felt so vastly different was because my nuclear family didn’t get together with a branch of our extended family, in Connecticut, with whom we’d celebrated the 4th of July holiday for at least 30 years, possibly even more.

The reason, of course, was Covid-19. It was simply too much risk for too little gain when we loved each other enough to sacrifice one year so we’d all have plenty to spend together in the future.

Instead, as I wrote in last year’s post (“New Normal – Day 601”), Karl and I stayed close to home. Lucky for us, M and T live close by and we were able to revel in a fireworks extravaganza that rivaled almost anything I’d ever seen before. (Thanks to several of their neighbors engaging in what almost appeared to be a competition on who could shoot off the biggest and best for the longest amount of time. The by-product of this apparent rivalry was astounding.)

But that sense of a widening gap between the haves and have-nots was palpable. And sadly, in spite of Joe Biden’s victory in November, that gap is rapidly becoming a chasm that could swallow us whole.

Chasm of Fire?

Ever since the election, but especially since the insurrection of January 6th, it’s become harder and harder to bridge the chasm and find any principle or value that moves us deeply enough to find unity. And it feels bitterly ironic to me that this is what our country was founded upon: Unity to protect our diversity.

Now we can’t even unite ourselves to harness our substantial wealth of intelligence, resources, creativity, and determination to stop the imminent destruction of the planet upon which we all live. We are literally left gaping at the image of a virtual Eye of Sauron swirling in the Gulf of Mexico while we distract ourselves from it and power grid failures by vowing to plow more money into building a border wall. Goodness knows we need to keep brown skinned people out of our country while 12 story walls of condominiums crush their inhabitants because (and we all know this is true) it was going to cost too much money to make the necessary repairs.

Every day it feels like our fundamental values are growing further and further apart. I worried last year that we might not even be celebrating “Independence Day” this year. While technically we still are, would any of us have believed we’d be here, right now, with the memory of January 6th seared into our hearts and minds?

Haunting Questions

How many more of those can our 245 year old republic weather? What can we do to rekindle (or kindle in the first place) a true and sincere respect, if not love, for those with whom we share this country and this planet?

Maybe, as many find themselves resuming their old traditions of family gatherings (because Covid-19 is being taken seriously and hopefully they’ve been vaccinated) we’ll be inspired to find answers to these haunting questions and find unity in our diversity.

Storm Before the Rainbow – Photo: L. Weikel

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New Normal – Day 601

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Photo: L. Weikel

New Normal

Check out the amazing fireworks display we reveled in this evening. Surprisingly, this extravaganza was provided not by a local municipality or community organization. No, these spectacular pyrotechnics were courtesy of our son and daughter-in-law’s neighbors. Yep. Neighbors. Welcome to what just might be our new normal.

Perhaps you’re thinking, “What’s your beef?” Certainly a fair question looking at these photos.

Photo: L. Weikel

I’ll readily admit – these were the best fireworks I’ve attended in many years – and possibly, given the totality of the circumstances (proximity, vantage point, beverages and dinner at our fingertips – not to mention the ‘company’ we kept) the best ever.

But there’s something unsettling in the fact that at least three or four sets of neighbors were setting off fireworks of this caliber all around us, while hundreds of families in our area are literally finding it hard to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. Goddess help them if they ‘catch the Covid’ and need hospitalization.

Old Imbalances

Let me be clear: I do not begrudge the neighbors their ability to purchase and set off professional-grade fireworks. I wish them the best of luck with it and hope they both know what they’re doing and do it safely.

Indeed, I am grateful we were able to benefit from their largesse.

But I think that’s the hitch. Call me sentimental, but it just doesn’t feel quite the same when our Independence Day celebrations are not being sponsored for the benefit of the community by our municipalities or large civic groups but by individuals wealthy enough to purchase veritable arsenals of firepower.

Photo: L. Weikel

There used to be a sense of shared appreciation for fireworks that wowed us and sent chills down our spines at the beauty and sense of awe they inspired. Usually they were sponsored by our local municipalities or large civic groups. And that was part of the magic: the sense that we were coming together and sharing our resources (tax dollars) to put on a show we could all enjoy, celebrating our Declaration of Independence.

To me, it’s starting to feel like we’re living more and more in a country of haves and have-nots, with a stark and unequivocal divide between the two. And the number of people comprising these groups is not nearly evenly divided, not even close. I realize I’m almost certainly a bit late to this party – the divide has always existed, of course – and lately it’s been growing exponentially.

Seeing Inequality and Seeking Freedom

More and more, I see and feel our shared sense of community is being lost. (Perhaps that’s the great hope and excitement so many of us feel as we come together in support of Black Lives Matter and similar social justice movements.) There’s a growing appreciation for the vast inequality – and therefore lack of freedom – experienced by so many, and a concomitant commitment to seek that freedom for all.

I fear losing our commonality, our shared sense of being in this ‘thing’ together. Maybe this is our new normal. And maybe this loss is weakening the very foundation of what we’re supposed to be celebrating today.

Given the changes we’ve experienced in the past six months, how different will next 4th of July be? And giving voice to the unthinkable, I have to wonder: will we celebrate it at all?

Photo: L. Weikel

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Mesa Rode Shotgun – Day 600

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Photo: L. Weikel

Mesa Rode Shotgun

I took a ride late this afternoon to enjoy a little bit of alone time with my beloved Tohickon Creek. But I’ll be honest: it wasn’t enough. I’m going to have to go back – and soon. My mesa rode shotgun, though. And I’m pleased to report, as can be seen, she was considerate of others.

Even though it’s easy for me to maintain complete isolation when I go to the creek (primarily because I won’t stop or sit along her banks if there are any human beings in sight), I find I’ve not been to the Tohickon anywhere near as often as usual. I realize it’s not because I’m wary of visiting the creek. It’s because I so rarely get in my car and drive anywhere anymore.

Yes, I can walk there from our house, and I do – occasionally. But my more routine visits were always spontaneous stops on my way to, but more often than not on my way home from, client appointments, errands, and various other excursions.

As a result of the pandemic, I barely drive anywhere anymore.

Refreshment

This was the temperature display at a bank along Route 611 this evening. While I grant that this outdoor thermometer tends to routinely lean toward the high side, I can vouch that my car’s thermometer indicated 90 degrees at that same moment. And as you can see, it was nearly 6:00 p.m. when I took this photo. Earlier in the day, it had been even hotter.

Imagine, then, my gratitude when a mere mile and a half away, I pulled off the road and alongside my favorite place in the world. How could I feel anything other than magically refreshed, allowing myself to drink in the serenity of this place?

Tohickon – Cool Respite – Photo: L. Weikel

Reflection

I’m finding myself contemplative on this eve of our country’s birth. I am marveling at how different this 4th of July weekend feels, for so many reasons, obviously.

Because of the pandemic, we’re not going to be traveling to Connecticut, where we’ve celebrated for decades. That’s a big break from tradition, and I feel wistful recalling the homemade blueberry muffins and Motherpeace readings, to name a few of my favorite memories. (Not to mention Jarts, croquet, lobsters, Wimbledon, and a myriad other treasured experiences.)

On a larger scale – from the personal to the national – it feels like this Independence Day is being viewed through a completely new pair of glasses. Suddenly, we’re seeing who we are as a country with an incredible new clarity that’s both deeply uncomfortable and also truly liberating.

The fact that we’re even discussing our historic oppression and mistreatment of our fellow Americans (including those who called this land home for thousands of years before white people ever stepped onto these shores) is heartening and exciting.

This is our history. It is important to tell the truth, even if it’s ugly and painful. Because that’s where our true freedom rests. In honesty. In gratitude. In forgiveness.

Tohickon – magical reflection; Photo: L. Weikel

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