In(ter)dependence Day
Posted July 4, 2006
So it's July 4th.....last Friday we had our "Ringing in My Ears" video release party and concert. It went really well- thanks to all you great persons who showed up to celebrate with us.
I was thinking- today being 'Independence Day' and all- about how thankful I am to live in a country where we can truly be independent and enjoy all the rights and privileges therein.
In May, I had the chance to visit Normandy in France, where the D-Day landings took place on June 6th, 1944, during World War II. Driving through the green farmland to the beaches and standing on the same sand where thousands of Americans died in a single day was one of the most emotional experiences of my life. The price paid for our freedom was and continues to be immense. Heck, if I was born a couple generations eariler, it very well could have been me. I kept thinking to myself, "How can I ever repay those who died here?"
As I continued thinking, I realized that this 'independence' in a political sense is very different from the way we live in a societal sense. As humans, we were made to be in community with each other- we actually do need each other to live in the manner we were meant to. Each of the men who decided to storm the beaches of Normandy in 1944 changed the course of my life, and all of our lives as Americans. Every decision we make positively or negatively affects other people, whether we realize it or not. Our actions can build up people, or tear them down.
We are in(ter)dependent.
-randall
