Big Country on Campus

Today is a wonderful day to take a break and relax. Maybe you’re going shopping at one of the squillion sales going on. Perhaps your plans are to sit by the pool and turn on the grill. Me and Lenny are currently hanging out with family on an overnight trip to his hometown. But even if I was sitting in my home doing nothing, I always take a moment to reflect on what this day is about.

So – here’s a little rambling to think about.

Two hundred and thirty years seems really old, doesn’t it? In the grand scheme of things, anything that old should really be put out of its misery, right? But, today it is the exact age of our country. Happy Birthday, America! You have definitely made the days from July 4, 1776 interesting. And while 230-years is quite a good chunk of time…we are definitely still young in comparison to other countries. In fact, you might say that we are currently seated firmly in our adolescence as a country.

Ah, puberty. It’s a rough time for just about anyone. You’re not in control of you body. Everyone seems to be against you. Your biggest worries are if you look good, hanging around the right people, and fearing you’ll be left behind with the dregs of teenage society. Sound familiar?

Yes citizens, we’re in the middle of a growth spurt.

It seems really funny to me. We’re the most powerful country in the world, but we’re powering to the top with a cracking voice ala Peter Brady singing “Time to Change” with his television siblings. It is a day and age where all of us as a whole feel a bit lost and unsure of where we’re going next (which is sometimes how I feel about my blog posts).

There is no doubt about it; we are the Big Man on Campus in terms of Global High. We’re the ones everyone looks up to and we hang out with all the cool kids. Some would say WE ARE the cool kids, but there are some countries out there who can hang with us. But, like Molly Ringwald and Emilio Estevez in The Breakfast Club, we know that even the popular kids have issues.

But, we’re at the point in our teenage nationalism where we have to decide how we’re going to deal with it. Are we going to strive and be the honor roll student and plow through all these tests by studying up? Or are we going to be the stoner slacker and just let everyone pass us by in a haze? Will we be like the emo-punk kid who hates the rest of the world and wallows in their own cynicism? Are we willing to be the jock that uses his muscle to get everything done?

The choices are seemingly endless. But one thing remains for sure: Whatever we decide as a country, we’ve got to start taking more responsibility for ourselves. So, while you’re finishing off the last of the barbecue and waiting for the fireworks to start – take some time to reflect. Even with the growing pains – we live in a great country. Let’s not take our status for granted.

Have a Happy 4th, MGF Faithful!