“America is a vast conspiracy to make you happy.”
- John Updike
Today we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the birth of our nation. The beginning of our great experiment, or as Ben Franklin famously said, “A republic, if you can keep it.”
Some of us were around for the last big celebration, the Bicentennial in 1976. Those of us who were there could probably create a very long list of the ways the world and the country has changed in fifty years. If you put a current twenty year old in the WayBack Machine and zapped them back to that time, their disorientation would be severe, I imagine. Things are way different.
It's a mixed bag, the changes. Depending on your perspective, some things are better and some are worse. Whatever the case, our country remains like nothing else that has ever existed. Flawed though it is, it's the greatest idea man has ever devised for self-rule. If you are lucky enough to have been born here, you are already standing on third base. What's more, in order to enjoy the fruits of our freedoms, not a single thing is required of you. You don't have to give back to help maintain those freedoms in any way. You don't even have to say thank you. All of that is easy to take for granted, so it's good to be reminded.
I am not a soccer fan, AT ALL. But, the presence of people here from all around the world for the World Cup has been a good jolt of wake up juice. These visitors, most experiencing our country for the first time, are gobsmacked by what they've found here - the size of everything, the abundance of everything (bottomless drinks, boundless ice, air conditioning, public toilets, the food) the freedoms we enjoy, and most heartening, the friendliness and kindness of the Americans they've met. It's all stuff we forget to appreciate, these amazing gifts we've been given simply by the virtue of our birth. Thank you, America!
Just for fun, here are a few facts about America on July 4th, 1976.
Gas: .59/Gallon
Minimum Wage: $2.30/Hour
McDonald's Cheeseburger: 40 cents
Average New Car: $4,500
Top Movie: Rocky
Number One Song: Silly Love Songs/Wings
Number One TV Show: Charlie's Angels
Slang: Boogie, Bogart, Book-It, Brown-Noser, Right-On, Stoked, No Way, Dork, Melvin, Scarf, To the Max
Bruce Jenner was a man
Gluten-free, lactose intolerance and peanut allergies were concepts unknown
There was no Taylor Swift
With rare exceptions, nary a tattoo to be found
https://omny.fm/shows/the-habit-podcast/leaving-home-summer-1976-by-judith-mcquoidJudithJudi