We had a really good Fourth of July last week - it was awesome to have the day off together on Friday. We slept in and then rode up to the office to clean it. Saw a freshly hit possum on the way home - it has since flattened out considerably. Eew. We decided we wanted tacos instead of the traditional bbq food, so I made Tyler's Ultimate Mexican Pot Roast Tacos, which are awesome, by the way, and Mexican Grilled Corn, a new recipe and very yummy. We thought about going to Gasworks for the fireworks, but we didn't want to fight the traffic, so after dinner we hopped on our bikes and rode up to Mountlake Terrace's Family Fourth just in time for the fireworks show. There were a lot of people there (we even saw some people we knew from a different ward), they had bouncy toys set up for the kids, food vendors, and music. There were a lot of policemen and firemen there, but it was a totally different vibe than what you would find downtown. Kids were lining up to get their pictures with them, the cops were showing off their police car - it was just all so laid back. The show itself was in the middle of the playfield, so we were able to be quite close, just on the other side of the fence. It was a really good show, complete with all the blasts of colors and sparkles and earth-shaking booms that you could want. It was a warm night, perfect for laying on the grass. As we grabbed our bicycles and started to ride home, we both commented on how we felt like we were in just some little small town and how cool it was that we can feel like that and still be close to a big city.
It also felt like this year we have become more comfortable being patriotic. I've never liked big showy displays of one's beliefs, whether it be nationalism, religion, whatever. I think that using those symbols as a weapon is wrong, but the right has made it seem that if you aren't all about rock, flag, and eagle, then you're not proud of your country. Because the way I felt about America didn't fit in with a stars and stripes tattoo mentality, I felt that that meant that I obviously was un-American (which is exactly what the right wanted me and people like me to believe). It's kindof like those people that wear crucifixes and WWJD stuff - they just like to flaunt their assumed superiority. There's no room for humility when you're saying stuff like, "Bring 'em on!" I really like what Adlai Stevenson had to say about patriotism in 1952: "'[P]atriotism with us is not the hatred of Russia (insert "terrorists," et al); it is the love of this republic and of the ideal of liberty of man and mind.' 'True patriotism,' he insisted, was 'based on tolerance and a large measure of humility,' on respecting dissenting speech in the service of collective improvement." (Taken from "Waving the Flag" in Slate.com) After reading that essay, I realized that I do love this country and the freedom and liberties that come with its citizenship, but that it's the same way that I feel about the church - I'm not going to go around shoving it in people's faces, but it is something that I am proud to be a part of and I will do my best to make sure that it is as it should be (which to me means serving the greater good and being an example to the world of how to rule and govern and live.)
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1 comments:
It's funny because this year I didn't watch any fireworks, but I did go to a 4th of July parade (in Choteau Mt.). This was the first year that I can remember where I didn't watch fireworks, and after I thought about it I was a little sad. It's funny how little things like watching fireworks reminds you of your childhood, the way you were brought up, and the country you were brought up in. I am a proud American and even though I don't flaunt it, or even have a flag hanging anywhere, whenever I hear the pledge of allegiance or the star spangled banner my hand goes straight to my heart. This year Ivan was in Iraq on the 4th...and it really made me think about the military and their families and how much they do for their country and the people living here. We are lucky!
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