Celebrate freedom and our commonality

On Monday we celebrate Independence Day, or as it is more commonly known, the Fourth of July.

It has been 246 years since the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence, birthing the 13 colonies into a new nation. In just four years the nation will celebrate its semiquincentennial (try saying that once, let alone three times fast), marking two and a half centuries of existence as a country. Perhaps we should start planning now for that party.

In the meantime, each of us should take some time to reflect on the importance of July 4, 1776. Woke, revisionist history notwithstanding, this is a celebration of freedom and self-governance. These were the baby steps of a democratic republic and the beginning of a nation the likes of which the world has never seen. And despite our many differences, we are still the most powerful and prosperous nation in the world.

I think it’s important to pause and appreciate all things we have in common, the things that unite us. Our government does not dictate our social status, where we should live, whom we can marry, how many (if any) children we can have, what occupation we hold, how (or if) we worship, what and how much we food eat, our mode of transportation, how much money we make, and so on. There are places in the world where these basic freedoms are restricted or dictated by the government.

We each hold the right to say and think what we want. That is powerful! Granted, free speech has its limits, but they are few and necessary. Imagine living in a place where the government could censor everything you read and write and you could be jailed for something you said. Imagine a place where the government can take your weapons, quarter troops in your home, or outright take your home from you. These are things our forefathers fought and died for. This is the legacy they left us. We must protect it and not abuse it.

Another reason we must all learn to pull together and find commonality is because that thwarts the ongoing efforts of our enemies to divide us. The Russians, Chinese, and several Middle Eastern countries are playing the long game of divide and conquer. They’ve been extremely adept at dividing us, using social media to manipulate public opinion and turn us on one another. The Chinese in particular have been buying up real estate, financing our debt, planting businesses here, and making us increasingly dependent on them for manufacturing.

I’m hoping I’m just paranoid and all of this is coincidental, but I doubt it. I think it’s intentional on behalf of the Chinese to weaken us from within. So far it’s working. While they soften us up, they’re making moves to take over sovereign nations like India and Taiwan. They’re engaging in mass martyrdom of Christians, jailing believers, closing and burning churches, cracking down on home gatherings and doing everything they can to eliminate Christianity from within their borders.

If we don’t want that to happen to us, we need to be aware of their tactics and work together against them. Freedom isn’t free and we must all be prepared daily to pay the price to protect it and to pass it on to the next generations.

As we look forward to our nation’s semiquincentennial celebration, I can’t help but look back at the bicentennial celebration of 1976. That was a great year for learning U.S. history in school. It was a time of great national pride and unity. The beautiful thing is, it can be again. If we recognize what our enemies are doing to us and learn to overcome their tactics, we can once again be united as a people with honor, dignity, decency, and respect. Just because we may not agree on some things doesn’t mean we have to disagree on all things. (We can agree to root for the Orange and Blue and against that football team in Dallas, for example.)

It’s time to set aside our differences and celebrate that which we have in common, to pull together as a people, and to enjoy the fruits of freedom.

Have a happy Fourth of July, y’all!

Joe Southern is the managing editor of the Wharton Journal-Spectator and the East Bernard Express. He can be reached at news@journal-spectator.com.