Looked at from a certain distance, all of the Independence Days in one’s life resemble a string of firecrackers. Bang, bang, bang, bang, and suddenly here you are in the present, on another Fourth, thinking about the difference between this one and the ones that came before it — the weather and the menu and the fireworks and the friends and family you celebrate with.
The Declaration of Independence speaks of truths and rights, but we are more likely to understand that document in terms of the freedoms we feel. And yet how often do we really enumerate those freedoms, really assess their costs and count up the obligations they imply?
It’s tempting to seek a kind of refuge in the Saturday-ness of this Fourth, to let the meaning of the holiday slip a little in the interest of a relaxing day in the backyard or at the beach
But there is a special understanding and joy in having struggled for it
clipped from: www.nytimes.com