As Independence Day 2010 passes, I can’t help but reassess my values, my country and the reasons I made the decision to leave the U.S. and make an attempt to find peace and security elsewhere. Let me give you a few examples as to why many of us have decided to step back from the heat of the burning barn…
Independence Day happens to fall on the date “July 4th”. The holiday was created to observe and appreciate the Declaration of Independence, which was penned by Thomas Jefferson. I would be willing to bet the farm that the thought has never occurred to most Americans to sit down for 5 minutes and read this most important founding document. When is the last time you read it? Hmm… Can you imagine what would happen if Americans actually read it?
The grievances enumerated against King George…. ARE ALMOST IDENTICAL TO THE ISSUES AND PROBLEMS AMERICANS HAVE WITH OUR GOVERNMENT TODAY! We started and fought a revolution for less than what is going on right now! Yet, here we are, singing “I’m proud to be an American, (where I get to THINK I’m free)”, have picnics and barbeques, play with matches and make loud noises with imported pyrotechnics. “July 4th Sale!” scream the newspaper and TV ads. “July 4th! July 4th!” Over and over.
Think about this for a moment. How would all the Christians feel if Christmas was suddenly called “December 25th” with no mention of “Christmas”? “Merry December 25th!” They would be up in arms! Why then are we so oblivious to the same scenario when it comes to our most patriotic holiday? Is it possible that the attention has been redirected away from the Declaration for the simple reason that we as Americans might, just might actually think about what patriotism is really all about? Wow! What a concept! Standing up to authority! Pitchforks! Torches! Tar and feathers!
Oops! Sorry. Can’t have any of that kind of talk! That might be construed as “anti- government”, “extremist” or “domestic terrorism”. People might say mean things about me, call me names or try to link me to some kind of hate group. Can’t have any of that! I’m a “good” American who does what I’m told! Right. But I digress, back to the issue of how expats can be considered “patriots”.
The argument is sometimes made that those who flee their respective countries have no right to look back and criticize the political and economic path that their country has taken. Sure, some have washed their hands and thrown in the towel in disgust and want nothing more to do with the confusion and moral decay that is so much easier to recognize from afar. Others leave to take a hiatus and get their head cleared in hopes that upon their return, they will be better prepared and emotionally stronger to rejoin the battle for national sanity. Those at home sometimes look at their friends and/or family members who have expatriated with an assessment of cowardice and condemnation.
Just wait a doggone minute! The overwhelming majority of Americans (and Brits from what I’ve heard) have made it a national pastime to sit at the local pub, dinner table or any other social gathering and gripe about their government and national policy… and then justify their inaction and complacency by repeating the tired and well known mantras, “You can’t fight City Hall!” or, “I’m only one person” or, “It’s always been this way”, etc… And then retreat to their favorite sit-com, TV drama, reality show, DVD, sports program and legitimize their denial by using the tired excuse, “I deal with enough stress every day! I DESERVE to unwind and escape for a while!”
For those of you who subscribe to this deluded philosophy, please try to understand why expats like me have such a difficult time trying to understand why you can’t find the motivation to get off of your big, fat, sweaty, pimple-covered butts and do some damned thing to help yourselves and your community! What will it take to get some people to realize that “entertainment” is something you indulge yourself in WHEN YOUR WORK IS DONE? It appears we have evolved into an entertainment society where we have a radio, TV or mp3 player plugged into our brain for most of our waking hours. I’m sure some feel uncomfortable when confronted with the prospect of an environment devoid of the constant drone of electronic audio or video, making silence an unacceptable condition.
The founders paid with their blood, sweat and tears to establish a Constitution that would enable the people to keep the government in check so it wouldn’t go mad with power. They sowed the seeds so that we could reap a harvest of liberty and freedom. So what happened? We all got so lazy that we stopped watering and weeding and then passed that responsibility to… THE GOVERNMENT!!!????
To compound matters, those of us who attempted to remind others of these simple truths had to weather attacks and ridicule from sofa-slugs who get their news from corporate controlled taking heads or candy-faced “blow-up dolls” on CNN or FOX.
So why is it that some of us who have left our countries to become expats are seen as less patriotic because we are less inclined to bail furiously while the “pseudo-patriots” look on? I’ll tell you why.
There can be no doubt that we live in the most interesting and challenging times in human history. The specter of an impersonal, insensitive, inhuman collective of global corporate entities gaining total control of the destiny of our spices should strike fear into any soul who still has the capacity to love and appreciate freedom of thought.
The “New World Order”, “New International Order”, “Global Partnership”, “Global Government”, whatever you want to call it, is and will be run by the legal fictions who have lost sight of their humanity and place more value on their profit margin and dominance over others than appreciating the miracle of life we have all been given the opportunity to experience and appreciate.
Of course, the majority of humanity still has the ability to overcome the mainstream corporate media’s propaganda with its seductive drone of ever present video and audio candy. That is, if presented with honest and truthful information and if the power of cognizant critical thinking skills has not been totally purged by the public education system.
The main hurdle is and will continue to be overcoming the fear of discovering that what we have all been led to believe… is a lie.
