As with many holidays that are celebrated around the world, the citizens of countries can sometimes forget the true significance of why we celebrate a particular holiday. Tomorrow being July 4th and Independence Day, I made it a point this weekend to listen to the Best Selling Book titled "1776" by David McCullough – to put me into a true holiday spirit. David McCullough is a very thorough author who knows how to bring history to life. He did a great job depicting the historical events of 1775 and 1776 that enabled a scrappy Army to fight against all odds en-route to Independence from King George III of England. The entire book is presented on 5 CD's and was a great tribute to George Washington, Nathaniel Green and the entire Continental Army responsible for winning the American Revolutionary War. On several occasions this weekend I sat with my maps of Boston and New York in hand as I followed several battles that he described in detail. Learning can be inspirational, enjoyable and entertaining.
I always found that there's so much to learn about life by studying the passion, struggles and perseverance of others. As stated by the author of 1776, there probably was never such a small group of individuals in the history of mankind – that had such a profound effect in changing the future of the entire world, as this group of scrappy soldiers. They derived spirit and energy from a leader like George Washington who was not a brilliant strategist or tactician; not a gifted orator or intellectual. He just learned steadily from experience and had his heart in the cause, never giving up during even the most desperate of times. His men persevered under the worst conditions imaginable and you couldn't help being inspired, by the heroism of the characters.
When traveling around the world and discovering the history and cultures of different countries throughout the ages, you will constantly learn about their many wars and conflicts over land, power, and natural resources. While those who rise and fall in power seem to dominate the historical events of a country, it's the common citizens who always bear the responsibility of labor to make each generation of leaders successful. These common citizens always seem to be struggling and hoping for better days ahead. And many give their life in battle for a cause they believe in, that's much bigger than themselves.
While there's never been a society, culture or government without flaws, the United States has been the envy of foreigners for a couple centuries. This phenomenon was all made possible by the brave individuals who stood up against enormous odds, to produce a form of government that's more representative of the common peoples than any other in the history of mankind. One of the safest ways for all of us as citizens to keep the government in the hands of the people is to become more involved in our governmental process. We can do this by:
Reading and learning about the history of our government
Reading and learning about the working of our government
Reading and learning about the people running our government
Taking part in the voting process of our Representatives
Holding our elected Representatives accountable for their decisions on our behalf
Ending all attitudes of complacency regarding our political process
Many brave people in the military dating back from 1776 to the present, have fought, died or were severely injured while obtaining and maintaining our independence and freedoms. Many families have suffered the loss of their loved ones, in order to make the lives of the citizens of the United States safer and more comfortable than most other people in the world. On this holiday weekend, we should muster up the inspiration to become as involved as possible in our political process, so that our voices and choices are heard by our lawmakers. Each one of us has a moral responsibility to do so for ourselves, our kids and loved ones. We should respect the sacrifices made by our forefathers to build a great nation and celebrate this Independence Day with a feeling of gratefulness. And the best way to thank those who sacrificed before us is to take part in our political process, in an effort to leave the next generation better than the last.
Remember, each one of us – joined together with the right spirit, passion and perseverance can make a difference against all odds. If you need proof of this, read about the Continental Army. These were people on a mission who fought for what we are now enjoying. Get involved and never, ever give up! Just make life BETTER!