4th of July

Today is not only my first 4th of July (American Independence day) outside of America, it's my first 4th of July outside of New York. It's funny to draw interesting tidbits that encompass an entire lifetime. Since I recently wrote a long post about America and the American Dream on my 6th month anniversary in Israel, it is only appropriate that I continue to prove that I still love America with a 4th of July posting.

I feel very strange today, knowing that the country I was born in and love will be celebrating its independence, yet I left it and am on the other side of the world. Tonight I'll gather with some of the American friends I made after moving here. We'll have a few drinks, maybe check out the bars known for being American hang-outs. But that's about it. There won't be any fireworks, there won't be any family BBQ's, there won't be any time off from work.

What does this day really mean? Beyond time off from work and good meat, what lessons can we take from this day which apply universally? Independence? Rebellion? Demanding a better life?

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants. It is it's natural manure." The "Tree of Liberty" letter, sent from Thomas Jefferson to William Smith on November 13, 1787.

How can we apply those ideas to our own lives? To the rut we often feel stuck in? To the inability to do what we "really" want that we often complain about?

I think I got at least part of it right when I wrote the following on Independence Day two years ago:

We can learn from and be inspired by occasionally taking the time to think of things in radically different ways than we normally do. A whole universe can fit on the tip of a needle. Your entire life can change because of a small realization. You can make life-long friends by saying the right thing at the right time. Surprise, spontaneity, unexpectedness, open-mindedness and an embrace for the unknown can do wonders.

Now I'd just add/stress - ...if you want it to! It is so easy to complain but how many people really want that change or whatever it is they dream of doing? Really? Really!

This is when I go into my high school gym teacher inspirational speaker mode, by the way.

For example, how many people would really move to Israel if their convenient excuses (such as "I got debt to pay back") didn't exist any more? If you think I'm being a little too harsh then send me an email with how much debt you're in and I'll keep tabs on you every few months to find out how you're doing. I pray that when you're out of debt I'll be proved wrong.

What I'm trying to get at (in a very insulting way, I know) is that if you want to do something then, for fuck's sake, do it! Stop with the excuses. One of my biggest pet peeves with people is that they like to think of themselves in certain ways and stick to that perception no matter what the reality is. People often have wayyy untrue perceptions of themselves.

For example, many like to think of themselves as being spontaneous - yet what was really, really, really the last spontaneous thing you did? What was your response to the last 5 spontaneous proposals your friends put to you? When was the last time you said yes to a friend asking "hey, dude, let's drive to Vegas tonight!" or the last time you said "hey, dude, let's drive to Vegas tonight!" (obviously, insert your local version of Vegas into the above thought)

Continuing on with the aggressive tone of my rant, I'll paraphrase from John Travolta in Swordfish- "You give your 20 bucks a year to Greenpeace, sleep well at night and think you're saving the world." Maybe this 4th of July is a good venue to take honest accounting of all of our interests, desires, yearnings, life goals and see what we're really, really doing to make them come true (and decide if they're just fantasies or do we really want them to come true?!). What obstacles are really just excuses and which are really, really obstacles?! The next step, of course, is getting over those real obstacles. But first we have to clear away a lot of the non-reasons.

Was I not going to move to Israel because of my family? Dr. Pepper? Buffalo wings? Banana Republic? My best friend? My car? Of course not! But those non-ultimately-deciding issues cloud our ability to focus on real deal-breakers.

Fuck what's known. Fuck what's easy. Fuck what's accessible. Fuck what's understood. Fuck what's comfortable.

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

PS- you have no idea how hard it was not to include Bill Pullman's monologue from the Independence Day movie, especially because he talks about a global independence day, not just the American version.