This morning I had the distinct pleasure of going to a naturalization ceremony on the lawn at Monticello. 77 men and women took the oath of allegiance to the United States and became citizens. It was truly a special and significant experience.
As I stood there watching those people walk to the front as their names were read aloud, I thought about the stories they had brought with them. Coming from countries as far away as Vietnam and China, or as near as Mexico, those 77 individuals undoubtedly made sacrifices, hard decisions, and spent many hours preparing for the difficult examination they had to take to fully enjoy the benefits of citizenry in this country.
So why would someone go through all the trouble, especially in light of the new homeland security regulations, which undoubtedly made their applications even harder to approve? They did it because they, perhaps more than the rest of us, know and appreciate what it means to be American. Having come from other areas of the world they recognize just how good we have it here. They are willing to renounce citizenship in their homeland, the land of their ancestors, in order to become a part of what we are doing. Think about that.
Unfortunately, judging from today�s low voting rate and the general disinterest in political programming on television, the message is lost on many of us. We have become a society that is more into being entertained than being educated. And yet, one day out of the year, we break out the coolers and barbecues and celebrate our independence.
But what does it mean to be free? It means writing, speaking, or thinking our own opinions without danger of governmental reprisal (in most cases). It means choosing for ourselves what path we are going to take in life. It means finding our own definition of happiness and pursuing it on our own terms. In short, freedom is the ability to be ourselves.
Of course these freedoms don�t come without considerable cost. In a society that looks to the people to elect its leaders, we need to maintain a level of political literacy that allows us to make informed decisions. In a society that depends on voluntary military service in times of need, we must all be prepared to take up arms to defend our liberty from those who would take it from us. In a society that calls upon all of us to remember the deeds of our forefathers, we must know and understand, and often come to terms with, our own histories in order to ensure that the lessons of the past are never forgotten. Most of all, freedom requires our eternal vigilance, for in an apathetic society, there is always the danger that someone will gain too much power by lighting the fire of discontent in the hearts of the populace.
So as we celebrate the fourth, we need to remember those who have sacrificed to give us the lives we have. We need to remember the founding fathers who so wonderfully summed up the ultimate goals of this nation by telling us that �all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.� We need to remember those soldiers and seamen who have given their lives in defense of their country. We need to remember those people who maintained faith in the American dream through two centuries of bondage and another of segregation. We need to remember those people our forefathers massacred in the forests and on the plains to push civilization all the way to the West Coast. We need to come to terms with ourselves, face up to our demons, admit our mistakes, and celebrate the vision that will, if pursued, lead us through the centuries toward an ever-improving society.
And above all, raise your glasses to those who still come to this country and see in it a beacon of liberty in an often cold, uncaring, and gloomy world. For they are the future of this nation, whether white, brown, red, or yellow. They are the ones who understand and appreciate everything we are and everything we strive to be. And they are the ones who will serve as our reminders every July that there are still people who yearn to be Americans.
Happy Fourth of July.
Paul
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