Thoughts on Independence Day

A replica of the 1814 flag that inspired "The Star-Spangled Banner" flies over Baltimore's Federal Hill. Photo: Roger Burks/Mercy Corps

Today, while eating breakfast at a corner coffee shop here in Baltimore, we saw a business owner across the street hanging up an American flag. He took much time to carefully smooth out the flag, place it in the holder beside the front door and adjust it to make sure it hung just right. Then he stepped back and took a few minutes just to look at the flag.

I wondered what was going through his mind in those moments. There had been both method and reverence in the way he placed and unfurled the flag. And while I couldn’t quite make out the expression on his face, I feel like I might have known some of the feelings in his heart.

Tomorrow, July 4 — the 234th anniversary of America’s separation from Great Britain — is a day when many Americans take a little closer look at the flag, as well as think about our country’s history and what that means to them. And, despite prevailing political squabbles or opinions on issues of the day, it’s also a day when most Americans set aside their differences and celebrate the birth of our country.

Every year, as far back as I can remember, I’ve taken time to read the Declaration of Independence on July 4. I wrote about it here on the blog a year ago. And, even if I haven’t agreed with the prevailing policies and feel disillusioned with the way the country seems headed, I take solace in the stirring words of that document. To me, this is one of the greatest sentences ever written in any language, in any country:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

The sight of a flag being raised and the sound of “The Star-Spangled Banner” have never failed to stir me. This was especially true a few days ago, when I took my five-year-old son to Fort McHenry — near which Francis Scott Key composed the poem that would become our national anthem — and watched a flag-raising ceremony.

Those symbols, songs and words speak to me of potential and perseverance. Of opportunity. And so, on this eve of America’s Independence Day — with deep pride in my own country — my thoughts turn to those I’ve met in far-flung lands.

Because even though many of the countries where Mercy Corps works face dire challenges, some seemingly insurmountable, citizens also hold deep pride for their homelands. They draw inspiration from their rich histories and identity from their vibrant cultures. They hope for a better future.

I’ve sat many times in homes and huts and heard something like this: “We have so much potential here. If we’d just set aside our differences and work together, we could do just about anything.”

That sounds familiar. Almost two and a half centuries ago, many brave people with some new ideas about how people should live took on the world’s greatest military power — and won. They believed. And of course they didn’t do it alone.

And so, to me, July 4 is about how change can happen — despite the odds. When I see the American flag and read the Declaration of Independence, I think of potential and hope.