Thoughts about America this Independence Day

I have struggled to write anything for this opinion column the last few days. There are many things that I could complain about, and I am at no loss for groups or individuals who deserve to have their stupidity and ridiculousness highlighted. Let’s face it; there is a lot of messed up stuff in the world right now. I am writing this on the Saturday before Independence Day. For those who didn’t learn it in school or might have forgotten, Independence Day, - the Fourth of July - is the day we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The United States of America wasn’t born, but our forefathers had declared they would no longer live under British rule. They had not written the Constitution. That would not come for about 11 more years. They had not decided who would be in charge or how the government would work. All the founders had was a dream that things could be better.

The idea that things could be better has always been the American Dream. Our founders didn’t create absolute perfection when they formed the United States or ratified the Constitution. Some scholars might argue that the Constitution is the foundation for our government, but they are wrong. The Declaration of Independence is our government’s foundation, cornerstone, hope, and roadmap. The Declaration of Independence was the written expression of the American Dream. The Constitution fell short of that dream. Our founders fell short of that dream. Two hundred forty-seven years later, I sometimes wonder if we have completely forgotten the dream born from that Declaration. The idea that we are all equal and possess rights that originate with our creation came directly from the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration never promised perfection or success. Instead, it evoked the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They declared that we each have the right to live, be free, and try to be happy. They made it clear that governments should never destroy the people’s ability to pursue happiness, but they didn’t say that governments should provide happiness or success.

Our founders, the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to each other and the dream expressed in that document. These men were not perfect. They did not have perfect visions of the future. They were unified in the belief that things could be better. Americans have historically believed that things could be better. That may not be true anymore. Sometime during my life, Americans stopped thinking that things could be better and started yearning for how good things used to be. We romanticized the past and lost faith in the future. We started listening to politicians who convinced us that the best we could hope for was the safety of days past. I will be the first to admit that we have taken some wrong paths, but I refuse to believe we cannot continue to improve. No period of our past was perfect, and I doubt we will ever attain perfection, but shouldn’t that be the goal? We should never aim for good enough or the best we have known.

John Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” With that question, Kennedy stirred and inspired a generation. Ronald Reagan made it popular to be proud of our country again. George W. Bush squandered an opportunity to unify our nation as never before by indulging in open-ended wars without clear goals or targets. Obama apologized for every sin of America while ignoring every hard-earned step toward improvement. Donald Trump started crying, “Make America Great Again,” as if America had already reached the peak of perfection some time ago. Americans need to be inspired to strive for perfection again. I think our nation is great and full of potential, but think for yourself.