To all my fellow Americans, happy Independence Day!
Much has been written and blogged this day, and I have enjoyed reading what my fellow authors have had to say. No one has been more eloquent than Peggy Noonan in her excellent editorial in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal. It is titled “A Cold Man’s Warm Words” with a subtitle of “Jefferson’s tender lament didn’t make it into the Declaration.” And what exactly was Jefferson’s “tender lament”?
The Declaration of Independence went through numerous edits. Jefferson was a prolific writer. The committee that was the Continental Congress expunged much of what he wrote to come up with what we now recognize as the Declaration of Independence. Yet, per Peggy Noonan’s article, the editors went one step too far in eliminating this tender phrase:
We might have been a free and great people together.
Fortunately for all involved, the United States and Great Britain have had an unusually close bond for the lion’s share of the 234 years that have elapsed since that fateful hot-and-humid summer day in Philadelphia, especially in recent decades.
So just what do we mean by independence? For that matter, what about dependence and interdependence?
I have had the privilege of enjoying season tickets to Portsmouth’s exceptional local gem, the Seacoast Repertory Theatre, for nearly a decade. Just yesterday I saw “Rent.” If you are anywhere near Portsmouth, N.H., run, don’t walk, to the SRT box office to get your tickets to “Rent.” It is a phenomenal performance.
Knowing that “Rent” was coming up, I noticed that the movie was playing on cable, so I recorded it and watched it the two nights before Saturday’s matinée performance at SRT. The music is loud and engaging. In the movie, however, the music often overwhelmed the lyrics, making them hard to hear. Fortunately, Seacoast Rep’s production was much more decipherable (although they would have been even better at 5 or 10 decibels lower … just a suggestion).
And what was the message? Well, for those who know “Rent,” part of the message is self-serving and narcissistic in the Bohemians’ desire to live lives of irresponsibility. And yet, as I ponder the play’s message this Independence Day, isn’t that part of what comes with declaring one’s independence from the powers that be?
True freedom comes with the recognition of shared responsibility—interdependence. A quote often attributed to Margaret Thatcher is, “Socialism is the best form of government until you run out of other people’s money.” This would seem to be the quintessence of irresponsibility, expecting others to pick up one’s own tab. With freedom comes responsibility, there are no two ways about it.
So, this Independence Day, vow to play your part in your own success. No one cares more about your success than you.
And do go see “Rent” at Seacoast Repertory Theatre. It is perhaps the best production I have seen there yet. Well done, Seacoast Rep! I love you!
