Thinking back to 1976 on this July 4th I recalled the significance of that date and that time. The celebrations were substantial and participation by most everyone was everywhere from the local parades to the BBQ’s ongoing to our Capital, Washington, DC. As a nation we had overcome a threat to our Democracy and we won. A President was forced to resign, the Vice President was sworn into office, and another election went forward just as many had before. America was back on track as an example to the world and continued as “a shining city on the hill.”
Fast forward 50 years to America at 250 years is the glow dimming? Perhaps the glow was not as great as many thought. America’s history is riddled with contradictions. Beginning with our Declaration of Independence to our Constitution this country has shown bright to the world. Throughout the next 250 years we occasionally vacillated between hope and despair but hope prevailed. The belief that we, the people, can always reclaim the correct path, the path that followed the Watergate fiasco. Can we achieve that today or have we somehow lost our way?
July 4, 2026, has just passed. Parades, BBQ’s, and such were abundant. Somehow it just simply did not seem the same as 1976. The celebratory feeling, the trust and hope for our country was not the same. America in the eyes of the world appeared to have lost its glitter. We did not seem to be a shining city on a hill, just a city on a hill. Viewed by many as on the down slope of the hill. How do we stop that, change it, and climb back onto our pedestal?
Looking backwards is never an effective way to go forward. We must never forget yesterday while ensuring we do not repeat some parts of it. Even worse is seeking to rewrite our past to create a way forward. That is a prescription for implementing the worst we have done before in the name of correcting history to define our path. A path that may offer some appeal to many of us, Americans, even though we know it is simply wrong. Much of this Independence Day lacked the sincerity and the hope for this nation with parades and events that praise us not recognition and remembrance of America’s greatness, its contributions to the world. We must remember who makes up this nation and what we believe as a people. Nothing America has accomplished can be attributed to one person or one group but includes all of us. In the 1970’s a Methodist Minister delivered an invocation at a very public event. Quoting the words of a popular song at the time, his message was “there has to be a morning after.” Let us all hope and work to make it so.
Phil's Personal Perspectives 