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Obviously making this wish is unconventional, but I have a reason to make it. Have you ever wondered as I have as; why we don't have greeting cards for this most important occasion as, say, for Mother's Day, Father's Day and no such a thing as Constitution Day when we have Ground Hog Day? Wouldn't it make a lot of sense if we glorified not only the Independence Day, but its other components, i.e., Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights, complete with congratulatory messages that stressed the historical, contemporary and future implications of these documents for America and for the world at large? It takes a naturalized citizen as I am to break the barriers of apathy and complacency and defend these documents. In fact the truth is that fresh influx of immigrants has been the secret of gluing this Nation of Immigrants united and alive against the dividing force of hypocrisy. Even since I became a citizen I have observed an upward trend in watering down of significance of Independence Day as it was intended to be. I recall a time when the purpose of the war for Independence was glorified in patriotic lyrics and popular and inspiring songs that made everybody more proud of the America Ideals and the world more proud of America. We have now reached and are passing the point where firecrackers, spectator sports, more eating and binge drinking than ever, constitute the main incentive for observing the Independence Day!
A glance at most newspapers indicates that the most eye-catching materials for Independence Day are illegible copies of Declaration of Independence, a colossal image of the Statue of Liberty and statistics on its physical dimensions, sometimes a mini biography of some of the America's founders with little or no reference to their character, struggle and the reason for carrying out the American Revolution against the mightiest colonial power of the time, much less, the implications of that revolution to the present and the future of our world. Briefly we have gone too far in becoming a gluttonous nation whose purpose is to live to eat rather than to eat to live a meaningful and balanced life of moderation free from abuses and extremes. We've long since forgotten that a nation that does not understand and does not appreciate its past will not be able to shape its future. Erasure of the real meaning of Independence Day is what has made America the most apathetic nation on earth, making the Government of the People, by and For the People, the Government of a Few, by and For a Few. Don't for a moment underestimate the opposite and more than equal force of hypocrisy, arrogance and ignorance on its long struggle to undo the American Revolution. neither should we forget that rhetoric of Freedom and Democracy and practicing otherwise is the definition of hypocrisy.
The power of hypocrisy has become so enormous that has made us the subject of ridicule especially in the arena of our foreign policies. As we see in the media some of these decisions defy the intellectual power of fifth and sixth graders. If you've lived that long you should remember that the dismayed American public in opposition to some of the unwise decisions of their leaders used to say, 'All I had to know I learned in grammar school.' Needless to say, those were the good old days when compared to our present time. The least discussed and yet the most disturbing fact is that our indifferent to watered-down education, ignorance of not only world history, but our own, and our over-dependence on technology has robbed us of a sense of balance that is necessary for elevating our status as human beings, and with which the founders of this nation were blessed with. The naked truth is that we are becoming increasingly less rational and forgetting that thinking and ration are among humankind's claim to
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fame as superior creatures. We have become or have been conditioned to become less sensitive to principle, truth and the distinction of truth from falsehood. Remember the time when America boasted in saying, 'The Truth Made Us Free?'
Here in America we have inherited a country whose Thomas Jefferson said, ' Those who expect to be ignorant and free, expect what there never was and never will be.' or in 'In matters of principle stand like a rock, in matters of taste swim with the crowd.' What a heritage! The true interpretation of this great saying is that we can, as imperfect human beings make some mistakes, over-indulge in fun and entertainment without sacrificing the principle upon which our survival depends. The very principles upon which this country was founded. It is up to each of us to understand,appreciate and preserve those principles if we are to survive as human race. If we defy those principles we will pay a high price in this world for sure and in both world for those who believe in both. As Erick Fromm said, 'The world is graveyard of empires who did not meet the challenge of their time.'
Case in point in our contemporary time is the punishment this nation is receiving for making a mockery of All principles of this country by spending the taxpayers money to the tune of some $200 million per day. Just think of what we could do with that in taking care of this nation's immediate problems and the repair of its infrastructures
that are falling apart not speaking of our troubled world in which half of its population is deprived of the most basic necessities of life. One would wonder why are practically self-destructing and yet we are not sensitive enough to truth and reality to do something about it. The simple answer is that hypocrisy loves to self-replicate.
Why are we deceived by the leaders whose main goal is exploitation of the present and the future generations by creating terrorism and then pulling the false alarm in the name of 'War on Terror,' depriving us of the dividends of technology for solving our education, health and economic problems such as prevention of our deficit spending. Why are we indifferent in finding out the real reason for terrorism. Why do we need so many our experts getting paid to find the reason for terrorism and end up shaking their heads and call for more studies? Simple insensitivity to truth and reality. That is why. A close look on the genesis of Independence Day would reveal the real culprit for terrorism.
I do not for one moment believe that the so called 'terror experts' would not hesitate to identify the cause of terrorism if they had received an injection of respect for truth, rational and moral behavior along with their education. As President F. D. Roosevelt said, 'Educating people in mind and not moral is educating menace for our society.' Here is one simple explanation-highlighted for rapid effect of terrorism and its root that even a sixth grader understands:
'BEWARE THE LEADER WHO BANGS THE DRUMS OF WAR IN ORDER TO WHIP THE CITIZENRY INTO A PATRIOTIC FEVER, FOR PATRIOTISM IS INDEED A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD. IT BOTH EMBOLDENS THE BLOOD, JUST AS IT NARROWS THE MIND. AND WHEN DRUMS OF WAR HAVE REACHED A FEVER PITCH AND THE BLOOD BOILS WITH HATE AND THE MIND HAS CLOSED, THE LEADER WILL HAVE NO NEED IN SEIZING THE RIGHTS OF THE CITIZENRY. RATHER, THE CITIZENRY, INFUSED WITH FEAR AND BLINDED BY PATRIOTISM, WILL OFFER UP ALL THEIR RIGHTS UNTO THE LEADER AND GLADLY SO. HOW DO I KNOW? FOR THIS IS WHAT I HAVE DONE AND I AM CAESAR...' -Julius Caesar.
We tend to forget that keeping the public ignorant of the fact and history is the same as freezing their mind in time and space. In fact the longer they live the longer they can be exploited by the hypocrites and the warmongers. How else could the public become ignorant of their history not to read another Jefferson'
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