Quotables

#9

'Pale in the flare light,
the scared light cracks and disappears
and leads the scorched ones here;

and everywhere no one cares -
the fire is spreading
And no one wants to speak about it.

Down in the hole,
Jesus tries to crack a smile
beneath another shovel load.
I heard it in the wind
and I saw it in the sky;
I thought it was the end,
it was just the fourth of July."

- 4th of July,
written by Chris Cornell
music by Soundgarden

We often forget
why we celebrate;
booms and cracks
scaring animals;
explosions of thunder
reminding us of the struggles of freedom;
explosions of thunder
reminding others of war.

Ironies burning from the end of a sparkler:
celebrate a country's greatness
with foreign products;
balls of flaming money shot into the sky:
is it a sign of the end?

No, just the Fourth of July.

We celebrate loudly,
we celebrate proudly,
we celebrate with forgotten awareness
that our happiness brings terror to others.

O - how I pity those
who do not see the harm they cause;

O - how I pity those
who have not the courage to run.

Independence is valuable,
independence is precious,
independence must be preserved,
but we must not forget those who gave all
for what we cherish the most.

Be mindful of their plight,
for the worst tragedy of war
is not any physical scar,
but the ghosts they bring home.

Some may hear it as the end
as they look to the sky;
losing their buddy or friend all over again -
it's just the Fourth of July.

"I disapprove of what you say,
but I will defend to the death
your right to say it[.]"
- Voltaire

NOTE: I have been very critical of this day in the history of the United States of America. It's not anti-American in any way, but a mirror of reflection. Around my freshman year of high school, I began to learn about PTSD, from soldiers specifically, and it changed my views on how we celebrate such a storied event in history. It became even more solidified when I met an old Vietnam veteran who would have intense PTSD flashbacks if a pan was dropped or hit too hard, and I could only imagine what this day is like for him and others.

I'm not against celebrating, don't get me wrong, go to the shows that are held in approved locations, but the individuals down the street firing off days before and days after at all times of day and night, truly irk me. Some would argue that it's their right to celebrate in their own way, and that is true, but the freedom of expression is limited by one simple thing: so long as it does not tread on another's freedom or cause harm to others.

There are many other ways to celebrate: go volunteer at an animal shelter to calm scared animals; visit a soup kitchen and spend time with the homeless, many of whom are veterans themselves and may have PTSD, and have no idea how to handle it; sing a song in the street; go to an immigration office and celebrate with every person who passes their citizenship test, and cheer on those who don't, giving them encouragement to do better next time; visit a place you've never been before that is in your town; learn about the history of you; ask your parents to tell you a story of when you were young.

My point is, we celebrate independence, but it seems like we do so little with it. There's nothing holding you back from actually making a difference. What may be little to us, may be galactic to others.

So, to my American sisters and brothers - be safe out there and take care, not only of yourselves, but of everyone around you. American is not just a name, it's a state of mind, a way to live. Don't let politics blur that ideal.