What are we really celebrating?

Today is the 4th of July, Independence Day, a national day of celebration and the banks are closed and the post office is closed and the grocery stores are closed and my question for today is: what are we really celebrating? Our "independence" from England? Well, we don't seem to be so independent or unattached from England these days in my book.

I know I try to stay away from politics, but I just feel compelled to say a few things about the direction my country is taking lately. Other countries (I'll mention no names) have rolled back the clock and forced their citizens to live in bygone times where women have been stripped of their basic human rights. Our government openly criticizes this action and yet...and yet, every day I hear about a new basic right that our constitution endorses being stripped away in the name of "terrorism" or "homeland security" or some such cover word so that we citizens don't realize what's happening right in front of our eyes. Doesn't anyone see that we are heading toward a police state government? Doesn't fascism scare people anymore? Didn't this happen in Germany? Does this world have to have an "us and them" mentality?

We are all one. Somos uno, somos parte de la Tierra. Tú eres mi vecino....soy tu vecina y juntos podemos crear un mundo mejor, un mundo donde todos vivimos en paz, donde nos aceptamos como somos con nuestras diferencias que nos hacen singulares y bellos.

I know what I want to celebrate this 4th of July.

Tolerance.

Forgiveness.

Acceptance.

Empathy.

Understanding.

Love for our fellow humans, whomever they may be, whatever their beliefs.

Happiness.

The present moment.

Soy Lorena.
7/4/07