July 4th is a day we celebrate freedom. Technically we declared our independence from Great Britain on July 4th, 1776. My daughters will tell you that I tortured them with the reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th when they were young. Super dorky right? The document is unique in a variety of ways but publishing a declaration of freedom was a colonial way of changing facebook status to single from married. It was a significant statement that once it was published required people to put skin in the game.
In 2025, we no longer pledge our “lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” For some reason this sounds odd or cheesy but wouldn’t it be nice to pledge something. A Declaration of Independence from lies, selfishness, and greed. We stand in the middle of a new Gilded Age between opponents of 47 million dollar weddings or proponents envious of a glittery guest list. We stand in the middle of social change where posting is more important than connecting. We stand at the precipice of a chasm looking into the welcoming ease of anger and self interest or the long hike up the hill of generosity and compassion.
We celebrate freedom but the stark reality is that many people are not free in the United States. Many people suffer from the bonds of poverty, expensive healthcare and generational silence. I consider generational silence the outcome when our elected leaders fail to give voice to the quietest yet the neediest of our citizens. We should judge our representatives by the way they protect or expose the weakest in our society. Children, abandoned families and the disabled. These protections of the voiceless are mandates of a great nation. They require declarations of protections and an adherence to the worthy principles that demanded our support in 1776. These protections should make all of us pledge our lives fortunes and sacred honor regardless of party and political affiliations. We shook off the barbarism of George III, rescued Europe from Hitler’s clutches and tracked Osama until capture. We surely can muster our resources and break the invisible bonds that oppress our silent citizens.
Albert R. Hartley