Independence Day is Everyday
July 4, 2011
Today is July 4th. It’s the day we celebrate Thomas Jefferson ringing Declaration of Independence. It’s America’s birthday and we celebrate it with parades, fireworks, patriotic music and picnics. But what does it mean to be independent?
On this day, most of think about independence in a political context, as the right to govern ourselves, live according to our own conscience, and extend the same rights and obligations to others. Much of the time we take these freedoms for granted and it’s wise to have a holiday reminding us of their importance.
However, I want to talk about another kind of independence that many people take even more for granted: the freedom to get around by their own power, to see where they are going and to listen to the voices of their friends and loved ones. Many people in our country have to struggle to attain these even more basic freedoms. They are reminded of their private struggles for independence not just once a year but literally every day of their lives.
Their tools are not patriotic words; their affirmations are mostly private. Their greatest gifts are not given by the Constitution or the Bill of Rights, but are received from a loving companion, a seeing-eye dog, or a new technology enabling them to move limbs or convert sounds into words.
Perhaps this Independence Day we should celebrate the people among us with disabilities, people for whom freedom is not merely a political concept, but an ideal they strive to live by every day.
Please comment: What is your idea of independence?
