Happy Interdependence Day!

Independence Day! Fourth of July!? Words that conjure up visions of neighborhood barbecues, family reunions, hometown parades, afternoon concerts in the park, fireworks and…you get the picture!? Great ways to celebrate!? Celebrate what?? Independence?? Yes. Historically, Fourth of July celebrations commemorate the anniversary of U.S. independence, but few of us really think about that as we enjoy the day, and the long weekend.? Do you?

What I think about on this most important day is celebrating interdependence!? When we use the term, “United States,” we usually think of a country bordered by the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans on the east and west and by Canada and Mexico on the north and south.? Geographically that is correct.? However, what’s really most important about the United States is its internal makeup.? People!? People of diverse backgrounds and cultures that somehow accept each other, for the most part, and interact, combine their efforts, and become one nation.?

Do you remember the concept of the melting pot?? It was the idea that someday all of the different cultures represented in the U.S. would combine into one.? I refer to that idea in the past tense because I’m not sure anyone subscribes to it anymore.? Not too many years ago, another concept evolved using the illustration of the salad bowl.? The idea of the salad bowl is that it takes many different individual ingredients to make up a healthy dish.? Each of which is important to the whole.? You can have a salad without some of the ingredients, but it won’t taste the same, nor will it maintain its health value.? Such is the culture of the United States.? People who call themselves African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, Italian Americans, Irish Americans, and the list goes on, each have their own individual histories, traditions, and cultures that, together, make us one people. We call ourselves, and each other, Americans.

There is nothing that any of us can do on a daily basis that isn’t somehow dependent on someone else to do their part.? What’s made the United States a great nation is that we’ve accepted each other’s differences and have built on them.? As Dr Stephen Covey said, “Unity is not sameness, it’s complementariness.”? He went on to challenge us to “celebrate the differences!”

As we celebrate Independence Day, and the freedom that comes with it, consider that the greatest freedom is the opportunity to appreciate the many different contributions our neighbors and coworkers have made to helping us enjoy the life we lead. Be grateful for that.? We’re all different but we’re all the same.? We’re free because of what we do for each other.? Think of this day, the Fourth of July, as Interdependence Day!?

Isn’t this a GREAT day to be an American?!