Every Independence Day is special; a time to remember what a miracle this country really is. When you think about the process and the people that produced our Declaration Of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights and the fact that those documents still are at the core of our government 233 years later, the word "miracle" seems appropriate.
As with many holidays, the meaning often disappears behind the commercialism and the parties. This year, thanks to a group of international visitors from Lehigh University's Iacocca Institute Global Village, some of us had the opportunity to be reminded of our blessings during a picture perfect summer afternoon.
I have been involved with the Global Village program almost since its inception; it is a unique chance to spend time with young professionals from around the world. This year, 53 countries are represented. The "Villagers" do just what the name implies...they build a village of interconnected relationships and networks while taking intensive courses in business, management, and leadership. The goal is not only for them to return to their countries with the ability to build a successful future for themselves and their homeland, it is also to maintain the friendships they have made.
The theory being that people and countries with a future, or at least hope for a future, are more prone to focus on building success than increasing violence. An example heard during our Fourth of July celebration was how the Serbian and Croatian members of the Village were becoming friends.
As we shared our traditional picnic foods with Nasima from Afghanistan, João of Portugal,
Kalpana of India, and Asaf of Israel, we heard stories of personal dreams, cultural conflicts, and government turmoil: Sitting in the sun, in the West End of Allentown, with red, white, and blue banners blowing in the 
breeze, anything seemed possible, even a world that will eventually be at peace; but peace can be elusive.
As the first fireworks from J. Birney Crumb Stadium lit up the night sky, Nasima jerked away so violently, ducking down, covering her head, that it took several seconds for me to realize what was happening. Taking her arm, I reassured her that this was a celebration and nothing would harm us. She looked at me with a mixture of determination and sadness and said, "When I hear this noise in my country, someone has died".
This Independence Day is one that will long be remembered for the friendships formed and lessons learned. May we never forget the sacrifices that are constantly being made around the world for freedom, from the protesters in Iran to our troops in Iraq. God Bless America.
Blogger's Note: My thanks to David Gwyn for the lovely photos...and for being a lovely son-in-law.
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19 comments:
Dear Pamela:
Only those who have travelled to dangerous parts of the world (as you have) or even within our country (as many of our citizens must do) can understand the sound of violence.
Your effort to bring sanity to a difficulty world by building relationships is admirable and needed.
Please stay the course.
Thank you for all that you do.
Best regards,
Michael Donovan
Michael,
Thank you for your very kind comment.
The Global Village is a wonderful exercise in "world-wide cooperation".
This smart, tech-savvy generation of 20 somethings is the future. Spending time with them gives me hope.
Never forget, Pam...the rights and freedoms we enjoy, including the 1st Amendment right that had lead to the blossoming of this new "blogging" medium, is guaranteed by the 2nd Amendment.
Let's all celebrate that as well.
Anon 8:13,
If we continue to engage in and protect our First Amendment rights, the exercise of our Second Amendment rights will hopefully never become necessary, but it is reassuring to know it's there.
One need only to look at the recent pictures out of Iran to see proof of what happens when a population cannot defend itself.
after spending last week learning about the oppressed citizens of Iran (at a church conference), I found this year's Independance Day to be difficult to celebrate. My patriotic pride says to celebrate and count my blessings, but my progressive side says that my celebration and blessings shouldn't be counted while other people struggle to even catch a glimpse of what we have.
thank you for high lighting your weekend celebrations. I never stopped to think about the "bombs bursting in air" eliciting a response of fear rather than celebration.
Geoff
Dear Anon 8:13pm.
Sadly, we sometimes think that free speech means no civil and peaceful debate.
I look at the loss of the "fairness doctrine" as a watershed moment in our history. With its demise, rational presentation of issues disappeared. We are left with one-side news stations, entertainment news, and blogging that is anonymous and too often myopic.
At the same time, we have blogs like Pam's. Yes, she has a viewpoint, but she examines issues. Thinks. Explains, and most of all, listens.
The Valley needs blogs like the one she writes.
Freedom of speech, as defended by Oliver Wendall Holmes, provides a marketplace of ideas -- not a place where I can scream what I believe and dam anyone elses thoughts. Civil deliberation will put this country back on the right path.
Best regards,
Michael
Geoff: My patriotic pride says to celebrate and count my blessings, but my progressive side says that my celebration and blessings shouldn't be counted
Those old dead white guys set a standard of freedom for the world to follow. John Adams said celebrate the act. Your agonizing won't make anyone else's life better, You celebrating will give other's hope and I am sure the poor soldiers that froze their butts off in Valley Forge would appreciate having their efforts remembered.
M. "Group Hug" Donovan: I look at the loss of the "fairness doctrine" as a watershed moment in our history. With its demise, rational presentation of issues disappeared
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I am a refugee from the Vietnam War era. Civil debate disappeared then and so did thinking. We have been in platitude overdrive since then.
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The end of the Fairness Doctrine returned to Americans the airwaves they own.
my point is to celebrate, but to also remember that while we celebrate, other's are oppressed. Celebrating is important for the reasons you stated. Freeing the oppressed is just as American. It's what we did in WWII, the Civil War and in Iraq. I found myself going back and forth on this matter of our freedom and the lack of freedom of others this Independance Day. Just a reflection.
Geoff
Geoff,
I think your reflections are very valid: It's so easy to forget, when living as we do, that much of the world is still poor, uneducated, and oppressed.
Remembering those facts is very American.
Michael,
You and I see the Fairness Doctrine issue differently...
Despite its name, its intent is to stifle free speech and free enterprise.
Democrats, liberal media; whatever "label" you want to use, are free to start their own networks or have their own media shows.
MSNBC is a good example: They figured out that the way to build a bigger audience was to be the "anti-FOX". Their prime time lineup is openly liberal with very few opposing positions heard. But that's fine...people who enjoy that POV can choose to watch.
With so many media and information options available now, the Fairness Doctrine is a canard to tamp down conservative radio, which by the way I'm not a fan of...I think it is often negative and mean-spirited, but the government should not be dictating the programming.
Dear Pam,
That is the problem. People can watch what they "prefer" to watch and do not watch another perspective with an open mind, or at least an inquisitive mind. I don't like either extreme. I will not watch MSNBC except to see what liberal perspective they are espousing. I'm getting more and more disappointed with CNN. I won't watch fox except to see their view. As a teacher, my job is to get people to see both sides and to question where they stand. One doesn't have to give up their point of view, but one does have to be challenged.
I still think that the doctrine's demise meant the end of rational and civil debate. There is a good op-ed piece in today's New York Times (I do read the WSJ, too) about objective journalism, something we have lost over the last 20 years.
There is a reason for education. It's not for a trade. It's not to prepare voters. It's to understand the complexity of the world and to not assume that one's opinion is the only correct way to think or act. People are lazy. If they disagree with something, they will not make an effort to listen.
I have to say that I feel sadness when I see or hear the vitriolic attacks that occurs from both sides, especially when they are offered with only opinion and without facts or accepted knowledge of how the world works.
Nothing make me happier in a classroom that focuses on political economy than getting a liberal to see the merits of a conservative argument. Or a conservative to do the same with a liberal argument. Obsessive greed ruins capitalism. Politics ruins good government, and extremism ruins social activism. Aristotle had a good point about moderation, and listening to both sides of an argument is the first step to mutual respect.
Best regards, as always. At least you and I can have one of those good old fashioned discussions.
Michael
"That is the problem. People can watch what they "prefer" to watch and do not watch another perspective with an open mind, or at least an inquisitive mind."
Which an individual choice, a right...the point you seem to consistently miss. Anyone with an open, inquisitive mind CAN watch other perspectives....which you describe yourself as doing a paragraph or two later.
" As a teacher, my job is to get people to see both sides and to question where they stand. One doesn't have to give up their point of view, but one does have to be challenged."
As a teacher, it is your job to all that for those who CHOOSE to attend your classes and wish to see both sides and be challenged. You have no right to choose that for them. And if they don't like what you have to say, they may CHOOSE to take another class.
"If they disagree with something, they will not make an effort to listen."
Re-written to say "SOME people are lazy." Others have listened and made a CHOICE. Michael, as nice a guy as you are reported to be, your kind and gentle authoritarianism is dangerous.
"...
objective journalism, something we have lost over the last 20 years."
We lost it in the sixties....over 40 years ago, and sadly many of the more extreme viewpoints in that era have gained significant political influence today.
The "Fairness Doctrine" is anything but..... It's government control of the airwaves, and smacks of Orwellian excesses.
"Fairness" is in the eyes of the beholder.
In regards to this discussion over the "Fairness Doctrine"... what disturbs me most is that most people rely on TV media at all!
TV is a rating/profit driven corporate controlled business. This dictates their entire programming decisions. Anchors, none of which would be caught dead wearing glasses, read teleprompters and interview repetitiously the same pundits day after day. At 5PM the entertainers hit the cable news channels. It's simply a form of entertainment. NOT THE NEWS. Witness the crazy graphics, accompanying sound effects and multiple split screens that look more like a video game then serious information. Seems they're more designed for those with ADD then serious concentration on what's being presented.
Actual/real NEWS reports what he said, she said... nothing more. The viewer then determines for themselves. These are not that. Today there will be only two stories. MJ's Memorial and Palin's resignation. WHY? Because it's all about the ratings.. not the news.
For the majority of viewers they will spoon fed and entertained by good looking celebrity reporters till Kate + 8 comes on. That is about the depth for most Americans (not all). History Channel, PBS and others that air in-depth research few bother to watch.
Perhaps rather then focus on a 'Fairness Doctrine' the government should be back to focusing on programming content within license renewal like they did at one time. In the 70's stations were required to submit why they should be granted renewal based on their 'service to the community' they served. A certain % of air time was required for PA, PSA, NEWS, etc. before a license could be renewed.
Sadly the threat isn't whether we have or do not have a 'Fairness Doctrine' but rather how do we get Americans to turn off the TV!
Fewer and fewer read the newspaper. As a direct result of this, the newspaper business is fading away. College has become more of a means to and end then a desire to learn. iPods & cellphones have replaced educational book reading. People have no idea what's contained in legislation other then what they were told (most likely out of context) by biased media personas.
So much I want to say. I've been waaay toooo long already!
BTW: I blogged about the 'Fairness Doctrine' back on Monday, March 23, 2009
anon 7:08am
Individual CHOICE is a selfish, egotistic view of the world if it is not tempered by acknowledgement of the common good. Education is all about getting away from personal opinion (a my, my, my point of view) and being able to coexist in the world as an individual who cares and respects differences.
Perspectives like yours scare me because it leads to xenophobia.
Thank goodness there are people like Pam who cherish the duality of like and unlike. In seeing our differences, we recognize we are so similar.
Best regards,
Michael Donovan
"Individual CHOICE is a selfish, egotistic view of the world if it is not tempered by acknowledgement of the common good."
Individual rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit (not the gurantee of shared wealth, welfare, health care...et cetera) of happiness... is egotistic view? It served us quite well, building a country that is the beacon of liberty for the rest of the world, and grew the most generous, giving, altruistic people in our planet's history. Recall the tsnunami, as only one of hundreds of examples?
"Education is all about getting away from personal opinion (a my, my, my point of view) and being able to coexist in the world as an individual who cares and respects differences."
education provides information about differences, in points of view, lifestyles, and a number of areas, from which we are free to choose. Sorry, Michael, moral relativism does not work for me. I respect your right to think it's ok, but I find it vacuous and without moral depth.
"Only those who have travelled to dangerous parts of the world (as you have) or even within our country (as many of our citizens must do) can understand the sound of violence."
As one who has travled to many, many places in the world, many of which were poor and violent, the liberties that are being so quickly eroded are very much appreciated by me. I shall miss them.
Only in America are we (collectively) so free to oppose the culture, the governmental system...and live to tell about it.
The theocracy in Iran has a "fairness doctrine." It's called, abide by Sharia, do not oppose it's earthly interpreters (the mullahs)and otherwise you are free to live and obey.
Venezuela has a "fairness coctrine," too. Chavez used it to monopolize the airwaves, manipulate the judiciary and the populace, and all but appoint himself "dictator for life."
And the native "collectivists," the "go along to all get alongs" say it could never happen here.
If these people are students at all, it must be only of recent history, because the longer view has example after example of the faults of man, as they appear and reappear in human history.
We are showing ourselves as (potentailly) falling victim to the same old pattern of the "rise and fall."
And the native "collectivists," the "go along to all get alongs" say it could never happen here.
The United States has always had it tribalist/collectivist element. Obama is a recent example. Eugene V. Debs was one from the past, FDR another.
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We are showing ourselves as (potentailly) falling victim to the same old pattern of the "rise and fall."
There is a possibility, the conformist view of today's liberals and progressives may cause their children to rise up in revolt and who knows, in 20 years formerly liberal colleges will see a student body where every member has a copy of the Road To Serfdom in their back pack.
Looking....one can only hope the Democrats return to the party of Jack Kennedy and the Republicans to Goldwater. I am not all that optimistic, though.
The moral relativists have done a very good job of excising God from our "no longer" Christian nation.
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