We’re ready to celebrate another Fourth of July. Some years the fireworks displays seem to evoke extra patriotic stirrings, sometimes they just make extra noise. Which is it this year? Are we celebrating a United States of America or, are we agonizing over a Divided States of America?
Tell you what; let’s not get too serious about this, OK? We can’t be all that divided. After all, there are only three kinds of people — those that can count and those that can’t. (Pause for laughter)
In our America which we are celebrating this July 4 weekend, there are plenty of opposite pairs like black or white, pro or con, young or old and rich or poor which are all part of the Great American Mixing Bowl. Stir in enough opposite pairs and pretty soon you get a rainbow of faces, multi-cultural flavors and a rich religious tapestry. These have always united us and continue to test us.
This is 2017 and this Fourth of July somehow feels different. In all our country’s history never has there been a bigger divide between poor and rich. Our current national debate over health care offers two very opposing outcomes that seem a million miles and a million lives apart.
There is an America First on the far right and an America Indivisible movement on the left. We forget that a one-winged American eagle cannot fly; it takes two wings (left and right) to gain flight.
We are Latino and we are Anglo. But that’s not true. We are all hyphens. Mexican-American, African-American, Italian-American, Asian-American, Irish-American and Native-American.
Around here in Sonoma County we are either a tourist or a local. We act like there’s not room for both and we have conflicted interests. Does this mean some wine is labeled tourists-only, while some roads are marked ‘strictly local?’ Guess it depends on how we divide our TOT bed taxes.
We are divided daily by our work commutes. Our daily routine and outlook is heavily impacted by how much time we must sit in rush hour traffic jams on Highway 101 — or whether we have bailed out for a life on the back roads, with bicycle commutes or living above the family store.
We are male versus female. That’s about as equal of a divide of our population as you can get. But let’s save that tangled ball of discussion for another day.
We are also young versus old. How more different can we be than to be either a young, new parent or an elderly empty nester? Think of how different those household budgets and challenges must be. It’s the same divide for a renter or a homeowner. It’s all very expensive, but it’s all very relative, too.
We are Democrat versus Republican. We are Trump versus what? However we voted, we all got hacked by the Russians. And who invited them to our Fourth of July picnic, anyway?
We are students of history or we are Instagramers or tweeters. We witness the news with our heads down, thumbs pressed on tiny screens or with a wider heads-up alertness and long-view skepticism. United or divided, fake news or real?
We are swimmers or non-swimmers. We are dog lovers or dog groaners. We are vegan or we eat too much bacon. We like rosé wine or we prefer it big and inky. We’re obese or just slightly overweight. We are gay or straight and who cares?
Some of us are movers and shakers. Some of us are the moved and the shaken. Some of us are more public about our religion or patriotism and some of us are more spiritually inward and quiet with our passions.
But we are all Americans and it’s our nation’s birthday. Let’s celebrate.
