On the Fourth of July, the focus nowadays is on friends and family, fun and food, flags and fireworks … not so much on the Founding Fathers. After all, 1776 was so very long ago – a time of waistcoats and powdered wigs, candles and quill pens. But lest we forget, by placing their signatures on the Declaration of Independence, these gentlemen were essentially signing their death warrants, what with King George preferring loyalty to treason. By way of contrast, today’s Fourth of July dangers are mainly limited to ant bites, sunburns, food poisoning, and possible vision loss – Mom was always telling me that my bottle rockets could ‘put an eye out’.
My mother was the one who introduced me to the concept of independence. Whenever I’d get on her nerves, she would toss me into the back yard of our small El Paso, Texas home (a stone wall kept wild animals out and small prisoners in). As this was a frequent occurrence, my skin is permanently tanned. When I was six, we moved to Lincoln, Illinois – a town small enough for a kid to regularly experience that exhilarating feeling of independence. When walking to school, riding my bike, or playing baseball in the neighborhood lot known as Feldman’s Field, I was free from parental authority. Years later, the Rubicon was crossed when I graduated from college and moved to Dallas. Oh, the joy! – but also the great revelation: being ‘on your own’ meant exactly that. The realization of having responsibilities quickly sank in. But like riding a bike, one eventually learns how to do it without falling over.
“Show me the incentives and I will show you the outcome.” - Charlie Munger
Independence – the opportunity to ‘do your own thing’ – is perhaps the secret sauce that has made our country so successful. Every day we Americans, people with different backgrounds and identities, are free to move about, study, learn, think, dream, produce, create, invent, improve, assist, teach, invest, … to live as we choose. Along with the enthusiasm that independence inspires comes better decision-making through personal responsibility – a combination that leads to ‘bigger and better’ for everyone. The results, per Kevin D. Williamson of National Review:
“…the United States is the world’s largest exporter of agricultural products … the world’s leading producer of oil and gas … most of the world’s important technology companies are U.S.-based … eight of the world’s ten largest media companies are U.S.-based … practically all of the world’s mobile phones run on Android or iOS … the United States … is the center of global innovation and productivity … American culture – and American cultural products – are simply everywhere … the fundamentals of the U.S. economy – the real, long-term fundamentals – are strong … arguably stronger than they are in any other country anywhere in the world.”
While it’s good to be an American, this year has presented a wake-up call. Imagine you’re a young Russian: one moment you’re living in peace, minding your own business, perhaps enjoying a latte at a Moscow café; the next, you’re rumbling around the Donbas in a T-72 tank, worrying about Javelin missiles (details here). Your life has been uprooted, all to satisfy the whims of a vindictive megalomaniac. Once again – and no surprise to history buffs – we witness what can happen when living under authoritarian rule. Our country succeeds because of independence for the people, not independence for the rulers – something not guaranteed, and something to keep in mind.
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