I Intentionally Unplugged for Independence Day
Two years ago, I wrote about the mixed feelings I saw online about Independence Day. And two years later, it feels like the feelings are worse. There is so much going on in our country today that for some, it was hard to celebrate anything. How can one celebrate when so many people are being kidnapped and sent to concentration camps here in the United States and other countries? And some are being deported to countries with which they have no ties. No one is given due process rights, and when people are following the law and showing up for their immigration court hearings, they are being detained.
Then there are those who have no ties to immigration, so their families aren’t being affected in any way; to them, this Independence Day is just like any other. God Bless America, the Home of the Free because of the Brave! (Please know that I respect and will always thank those who have served our country.) But with everything going on, I wonder if those who have served have any thoughts on what’s going on?
I am the type of person who always tries to understand both sides of everything. Sometimes it’s annoying to my family members, but not everything is always black and white. On one hand, I understand those who are hurt, feel betrayed by our government, are scared, and are heartbroken by the actions of today. And I also understand those who were celebrating because, today, we still have many freedoms that other countries don’t have. We still have the freedom of speech and the right to criticize our government. We have the right to protest and make our voices heard. Although it can feel like what’s the point, when the justice system and the Supreme Court are acting like the Constitution doesn’t matter anymore. But we are still in this fight!
This year, for the 4th of July, I completed unplugging from social media. Since, I have my podcast and online business I made sure that everything that needed to be done was done and I scheduled out social media posts, because I did not want to be online, specifically on the 4th. The plan was to be offline for Friday and Saturday, but it ended up being Sunday as well. So, it was three glorious days of not watching the news, no notifications, and no checking social media posts.
In those three days, I deep-cleaned my house, listened to music from my teenage years while lying on the floor, watched three movies, continued reading a book by one of my future podcast guests, watched Downton Abbey, and cooked a new recipe. Some of my neighbors had bought fireworks, so we saw those from our garage. We didn’t even leave our house in those three days. And it was the perfect weekend.
It’s been a few years since we’ve done anything for the 4th of July, if I’m being honest. Mostly, because growing up, we really kept to ourselves and did stuff with the family, and secondly, because I don’t like crowds. I remember one year, we went to Epcot on the 4th of July, the fireworks were fantastic, but it took us over an hour to leave the parking lot. I said never again!
As I get older, I realize how much I prefer to be home, especially on big holidays like that. But I understand those who couldn’t find it in themselves to celebrate this year. I don’t want us to feel discouraged and ready to give up, because the fight is not over! It’s a fight that has been in action for many generations! But I genuinely believe we can live in a country where there is true liberty and justice for all.
What did you do this year for Independence Day?
With Love, Heidy
This article was originally published on the publication Thought Thinkers on Medium.