Thoughts on the 4th of July

About a week ago a friend on Facebook posted one of those memes making declarations about the flag and what it stands for. While I don’t disagree at one level, I believe that the biggest problem today is that we are unable to separate the progress and achievements of the past from the current reality that some of the goals memorialized in the past are still a work in progress.

The text of the post was: ”This flag does not represent slavery. It represents the Independence of an entire nation, against an adversary that wanted to enslave us all. It represents freedom.”

The flag in question was one of those with the 13 stars in a circle on the field of blue.

No Responsibility

I recognize that my previous post (almost 2 years ago) was not popular with some. The goal was not to inflame anyone. But it is a legitimate response to the news and is a position that should at least be entertained as having potential validity rather than being dismissed out-of-hand.

I have posted on related topics over the past years. The first was in July, 2008 (“Freedom”), and the second in August, 2009 (Tolerance, the New Intolerance).

In the first, I argue that we cherish freedom like it is a religion, and have elevated desires and wants to rights. But what rights we have generally come with responsibilities. And few of our wants (whether or not claimed to be rights) have guarantees. As an example, we have managed to convince most that a college education is a right. But we too often fail to recognize that only the attempt might be classified as a right (and even that is only tentative). The outcome requires that we actually complete the coursework with a satisfactory grade. There is no right to a degree that is not earned.