The True Meaning Of It All On July 4th

What is the 4th of July?

To many people, the 4th of July is a reason to cook out, light fireworks, eat, drink, and be merry for a while. It's a good day to get together with friends and family and relax. The day, typically, unless you wear a uniform or are in a career that people need each day of the year, is a day that everybody gets off. It's a day to enjoy the freedoms that come with being a citizen of the United States of America.

But lately, the United States of America hasn't been feeling all that United.

Perhaps July 4th, 2026, should serve as a reminder that the country is 250 years into an experiment. Because that is what America was: an experiment. It was founded after small groups of people fled persecution elsewhere and the tyranny of the old world to live a free life. And for the past hundred years, minus the last decade or so, it was the place that people looked to for guidance and as an example of greatness.

However, that all changed. And while you blame the people of our government, the president everybody hates, whether that's Obama, Biden, or Trump, and every other thing you might blame, maybe it's time to put away those emotional responses and start thinking with your brain. As a member of the country, don't you owe it to your fellow citizens to think about it?

And while you think about putting away your personal feelings, think about the quote we've all heard from John F. Kennedy.

"Ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for your country."

-President John F Kennedy, January 20, 1961`

The fact of the matter is that fewer people have that type of mentality than in our country's 250-year history. And that's sad, because it was that type of person who believed in civic responsibility, selflessness, and participation in public service. Fast forward to 2026, and that's gone from our leaders, and again, that's both sides of the aisle.

But is it their fault that they are that way? Or is it the fault of someone even more insidious-minded than the Donald Trumps, Elizabeth Warrens, and Barack Obamas of the world? It's really easy to hate the winners on the other team, but who really empowered them to take the reins and push forward their visions of things?

And that is the question that I keep going back to as we celebrate the birthday of America, a place that once didn't have its head stuffed so far up its ass that it started to look more like a pretzel than a country. Who's really at fault?

Tomorrow will go on like any other day for many in this country. Talk show hosts will make appearances, politicians will make speeches, and many of them will be vile and hate-laden, and people will sound off on the country's many problems. And to those unfortunate souls, the rest of us offer you our pity and our sorrow.

Because it is the people of this country, you, your neighbors, I, and mine, who have allowed the United States to become such a fractured nation. We've allowed policies to permeate our society that aren't in the best interest of the innocent, the helpless, and the vulnerable. And that is because we've allowed society to crumble with our actions and our inactions.

Every time someone bleeds blue just because they hate Donald Trump, or they take a side on the red side of things because they hate the outcomes of Democratic policies, they're forgetting to look at all the facts. Even worse, they're participating in hypocrisy, and then many will attack from that hypocritical point of view.

We've allowed ourselves, by proxy, to destroy a country with our emotions, instead of actually supporting a nation of laws. Sure, some issues feel unfair or unjust, but why allow them to separate us?

America was never perfect! But, on its birthday, much like yours and that of the young, it's a reminder of what it could be if it were to grow to its full potential. And that is the part that's up to every single person in the country. Do we allow the country to reach its potential and be a safe and prosperous nation for all its citizens? Or do we continue down this road of destructiveness, forgetting that at the end of the day, we all bleed the same color that is on our flag.

Happy Birthday America!!! 251 can be the greatest of years, or the worst, depending on us!