What 4th of July Means to Me

As I was pondering about various topics for my next blog, I felt it would be fitting to write about the upcoming 4^th of July, our country’s Independence Day. I thought I’d share with you what this day means to me, as someone that migrated to this country and had to learn about its history and this important date.

As you may know, I came to this country about 38 years ago to attend college. I had planned to go back as soon as I had received my degree in Civil Engineering to help build and expand Iran’s infrastructure. As it turned out, there was a revolution in Iran in 1979 that changed lives of many people - including mine. As the result, I ended up staying here, became a US citizen, and started contributing to this society and this nation.

The goal of the revolution in Iran was to achieve a similar result as the revolution that happened in 1776 in United States. However, it did not.

In my early years in America, it was easy to conclude that the day on which we celebrate our hard-won independence from England is merely a pause to blow up some colorful explosives, have big gatherings by the pool or at the beach, cook all kinds of meat over an open flame and get some good deals on major appliances. And, of course, drink lots of beer. I did not quite understand the true meaning of 4th of July until some years later when I learned more about the history of this country, the sacrifices that was made to get to this point, and the benefits we are getting from it.

As I think about this American celebration, I think about the true meaning of it and what it means to me as one of the country’s newer members. It means FREEDOM. It is about an idea that was revolutionary then and is still revolutionary now. It is an ideology, which is the envy of many countries around the world.

Americans don't know what it means to live in an oppressive society. They don't know what it means to be afraid of saying the wrong thing at the risk of their life. They don't know what it means to work hard all of their life only to have it taken away by others. They don't know what it means to be punished and put in jail because of their beliefs. They don't know what it means to live where woman are buried alive because of their gender and have no importance other than bearing a child. Independence Day reminds me to treasure the freedoms we have here, especially since many don’t. It reminds me that such freedoms were earned by the blood of many to gain and, to this day, by the blood of many to keep.

I also see Independence Day as a symbol that these freedoms can be achieved by others who want it badly enough. As we look around the world, there are many countries that still live under oppressive governments, and our 4th of July is a reminder that it doesn't always have to be that way. It is a symbol of hope that one day everyone will enjoy the same or even greater liberties that we have here.

In a time when many deficiencies in our government divides us more than it unites us, it is too easy to be negative and forget about the precious freedom that we have. But, we still could debate these issues because we have the freedom to do so without the fear of punishment!

So I suggest, as we celebrate our 4th of July holiday with parties, BBQs, beers and great discounts on LCD TVs, we also think positively and proudly about the freedom we have, how we attained it, how we preserved it, and how we are leading the world to demonstrate it.