Friday, July 4, 2014

The Irony of the Isolation of Independence

from "Random Acts of Vibrance" (inks on bristol / 2010)
Today in America we celebrate our independence- and by definition our self-rule.  It is in theory the principles of democracy lay ground for many a man to rule his lot in the land of the free.  It is at times a difficult concept which stumbles into the territory of contradiction.  Without community, the self cannot survive for it takes a village and a tribe.  Likewise, without government and system the village would fall into bedlam and lawless abandon.  Therefor in fact, we are all part of the machine which manufactures independence and freedom through calculated control.

To gain freedoms in terms of equality, history has bore witness to bodies of peoples petitioning the general public and government through protest and upheaval.  No single individual can stake claim on the American Revolution, the Labor Movement, the Civil Rights Movement or the modern strife of equal rights for other minorities and the LGBT community.  Only through organization and reliance on others can social change and acceptance occur.  Only with a unified voice can citizens gain justness and law to the benefit all peoples equally.


The theory of independence is the wedge by which war divides the world.  From a global scale to a local community, we find ourselves isolated through independence.  All too often independence is equated with freedom.  A culture of "every man for himself" is the end result of too much independence.  America can't function alone and you can't function alone.  We are all members of the global family of mankind and all employees in the global factory of modern life.  Whether you're lighting bottle rockets in your backyard tonight or watching a lavish display with thousands of onlookers, it took many hands (from different countries and continents even) to give you the joy of experiencing such.  The vast majority of the $1 Billion in fireworks blown up annually are hand-made in China, shipped to the United States and vended to you after passing through different avenues of commerce and many hands of many colors.  There's nothing independent about the process.

Remember today while celebrating your freedoms how they came to be- through community and through organization.  No one person has or will change the world for the better.  Only mankind can end global conflict.  Only mankind can create equal rights.  Only mankind can pull the blindfold of homegrown dissent off and fight for the larger issues affecting us as a species.  Strive for freedom rather than independence.  Strive for equality and peace so there is a better world for future generations to inherit.








No comments:

Post a Comment

If you brought two cents, leave them here...

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.