Dear Reader,
Since Megan did me a solid last week by writing her guest feature on our temporary new empty nest existence, I thought I’d take advantage of the opportunity on Saturday evening and see if I could write something worthy of the July 4 holiday today.
I hesitate sending this out on a Sunday, lest there be some mistaken equivocation of God and country, but as today is Independence Day, so be it. Please don’t read this as an endorsement of civil religion, but as simply a function of the calendar and me shilling a few ideas.
Enjoy the rest of the Lord’s Day. And happy 245th anniversary, America. Let’s get better with age.
Craig
P.S.: As a reminder, you’re welcome and encouraged to leave a comment below or email me directly with feedback, ideas, links, etc. at cmdunham [at] gmail [dot] com.
Just Look for the Flag
Today I put up my first-ever American flag for the Fourth of July.
For those who know of my frequent commentary on and critique of our country (or my physical prowess - or lack thereof - with a drill), you know this is kind of a big deal.
I remember deciding to do it on May 5, when, at our second annual Cinco de Mayo party for our church growth group, my daughter, Chloe, made the casual but astute observation that we as a family tended to do more to celebrate the anniversary of Mexico’s victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 than to commemorate the United States’ declaration of eventual independence from British reign in 1776.
Maybe it was just because we like margaritas and don’t get to have those too often.
Or, maybe it was just because we take too much for granted.
Whichever, I determined then that I would put up a flag on July 4th, the date my English friend, Richard, says is “the date you Americans celebrate when we let you go.”
British humor and treasonous Revolutionary War aside, I put up my first-ever American flag today not to make a statement, but to ask a question (three of them, actually), as posed by Founding Father John Adams in the musical 1776:
“Is anybody there? Does anybody care? Does anybody see what I see?”
It’s not that I believe the answer to any of the three questions is “no”; on the contrary, I think most people would answer in the affirmative, at least to the first two.
I believe people know there are others in this country who still believe in the promise and potential of America. This doesn’t mean we’re better than any one else (and if I hear the whole “greatest nation in the history of the world” mantra one more time I’m going to hurl); it just means we were given a Providential opportunity for a novel start that began with an idea and a document born out of liberty, not tyranny.
I also believe people understand the importance of improving a nation founded not perfectly, but not poisonously, either. It’s true that “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” have not always played out on a fair field for all across our history, but that doesn’t mean that, with work and wisdom, they can’t or never will. We’re to “form a more perfect union”; nowhere did the Founders hint that we’ve arrived at one already done.
I suppose I hope that putting up a flag raises questions in the minds of our visitors, of our neighbors, and of the yahoos who drive 50 miles an hour up and down our residential street. I want them to wonder:
“Why the need to put up a flag? Why an American flag and not a different one? And why now when it’s not been there before?”
Will they ask these questions? Maybe, maybe not (and probably definitely not for the yahoos). But if putting up a flag could raise these and other questions in conversation, what’s the harm?
“Why the need to put up a flag?”
Because I’m here - just like you are - and a flag can be a call to gather together.
“Why an American flag and not a different one?”
Because I embrace the best of what our Founding Fathers and documents put forth. No, none of them (men or manuscripts) were infallible, but their ideas and ideals come as close to the values and virtues I believe are necessary for a flourishing society. We just have to get better at submitting to, understanding, and implementing them.
“And why now when it’s not been there before?”
Because I’m old, and I’m getting older. I’m also weary of how our refusal to learn and grow from history continues to sow poor seed that results in the same yield of wicked weeds. There’s a better harvest to reap - with bounty and benefit for everyone - but we have to get better at picking the more worthy seed and watering it as it grows.
“Is anybody there? Does anybody care? Does anybody see what I see?”
I’m here. I care. And this is the view from my porch if you’re up for a discussion.
Just look for the flag…or feel free to leave a comment below. Happy Independence Day.
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