Freedom Isn't Free—and Neither Are Fireworks

Our expensive taste for sparkle over substance during our most patriotic holiday

Photo by Stephanie McCabe on Unsplash

Happy July 4^th!

The holiday when Americans celebrate their independence and show that they have the government they deserve by spending more than they can afford on things that look cool but don’t provide real benefit to anybody.

I’m talking about fireworks!

It doesn’t matter that almost 99% of these fiery expressions of freedom help fund a hostile country intent on shoving us off the world stage—they’re sparkly and colorful. And loud!

All the things that modern America loves most.

And except for the fizzling duds that raise your anticipation before plunging you into a chasm of disappointment—just like the last few presidential debates—each of these delightful, pyrotechnic toys erupts in a shower of incandescent sparks and voluminous smoke that tugs at the patriotic heartstrings.

At least, they do for those of us who haven’t been taught that patriotism is a morally corrupt veneer for bigotry. Even then, only until it’s our turn at cornhole.

For those who aren’t on the July 4^th USA love train—hey, at least there’s still fire!

And who doesn’t love playing with that?

As the roman candles and bottle rockets glare over our streets, we can all say together, like a zombie horde from the latest spinoff of the Walking Dead, “Ooooooh. Aaaaaaah.”

For one bright moment, the shiny things help us forget that we’re being herded straight into a grist mill of political division and animosity.

In the light of those incendiary starbursts, we almost feel like we share a deep and abiding bond as countrymen—as Americans.

But just almost—and only for a second.

While we watch the fireworks, we can remember with a sparkling tear in our eye, the words of George Washington, who said in his first inaugural address, “The foundations of our national policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of public licentiousness…There is no truth more thoroughly established, than that there exists in the course of nature an indissoluble union between happiness and following the latest perverse trend on TikTok that will make “the olds” whine about generation whatever’s debauchery. And even though I don’t know what TikTok is, I’m sure it couldn’t possibly be an enemy psyop designed to use our principles of liberty against us in order to corrupt our youth. It’s probably just a harmless distraction from the pain of living under a puritanical and bigoted patriarchy like the tyranny of King George.”

And let’s not forget the equally important missive from our second president, John Adams, who told the Massachusetts militia, “We have a Government armed to ensure the Power of human Passions unbridled by morality and Religion. Avarice, Ambition, Revenge, and Envy are the strongest Cords of our Constitution, which was made for an agnostic and hedonistic public. It is wholly inadequate to enforce morals on an irreligious people. Ignore the haters. You do you.”

While the explosions and fire engine sirens blare deep into the night this Independence Day, and your dog cowers in the closet because the vet snipped off his T-nuggets to make him less competitive and more compliant, remember that this spendthrift gala of incendiary wonder is a celebration of your freedom.

Freedom to be who you want to be.

Freedom to do what you want to do.

Freedom from the demands and responsibilities of society—or even reality.

Freedom from other people telling you what’s right or wrong—unless those people are from the government or the media, because they’re doing it for your own good and they know what’s best for you.

Besides, you get to vote for some of those people telling you what to do. That makes it freedom!

And just like the government, spending so much that our currency is on it’s way to becoming as worthless as the shreds of red firecrackers littering the streets on July 5^th, you can rest easy knowing that you’ve blown more money than you should on this flashing festival of freedom.

You can drift to sleep knowing that you’ve done your part as a devoted American. Because spending too much is good for the economy. And that’s what makes you freer—despite what that old coot, Benjamin Franklin said about debt. Or was that in the Bible?

Either way, thoughts like that give us the ick.

As the gleam of white phosphorous fades from your retina well after you close your eyes, remind yourself that your freedoms are secure—unlike the flitting sparks of all those Chinese fireworks.

Nobody gets to tell you what to do because you’re an American—and America is a free country.

You can say and do anything you like.

Unless it hurts somebody’s feelings.

Or if you’re one of those wrong-thinking, “patriotic” bigots who believes in ordered liberty, and personal responsibility, and public virtue, and the Bill of Rights.

Then you should shut up and keep your religion to yourself.

Because there’s a separation between church and state in America.

And that’s one more thing that keeps us free! Free from those old ideas that expect something from us.

True Americans know it’s all about the Freedom to feel good.

And that’s why we celebrate the 4th of July.

So, as they light the fuse on another powder keg of an election year that sets us into fits of apoplexy against our neighbors, let’s take a deep breath.

Then, when it finally explodes, we can all say together, like the zombies we’ve become, “Oooooh. Aaaaah.”

For some of us, it might sound more like, “Aargh!”

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In addition to Imago Dad, Brandon Wilborn writes fantasy with spiritual themes. His current project is a series for young readers about a dog with an imagination that highlights the classic virtues of our Judeo-Christian heritage. To learn more about Brandon’s fiction, visit BrandonWilborn.com