This is the weekend of Independence Day in the United States of America, my adopted place of residence. I was not born here. I am an immigrant. I appreciate the opportunities I’ve been given here. And I mourn for the people who are not able to have those same opportunities.
I think one of the reasons I’m mourning is that this country has been so deeply and utterly focused on independence and the image of “self made men” (notice the intentional gendering I’ve chosen) that it has ignored the other side of the coin – interdependence. There is no choice to be made. It’s not about one or the other. It’s about balancing the two, like we balance our very breath. In. Out. Life in human civilization is impossible without that balance.
Why is it so that there is no Interdependence Day? Why is it so that there is no Statue of Responsibility? What are the blinders that this purportedly great society is wearing so firmly that it can’t even talk about and get serious about those things? Or am I just missing the conversation?
January 4th is halfway between occurrences of Independence Day. I say we mark that as Interdependence Day. Will you do that?
Originally posted on 2023-07-02 at 17:05 via https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn%3Ali%3Ashare%3A7081316893826973696