Today we celebrate our Independence Day, as we have for 247 years. Well, actually it’s likely that no one actually celebrated on July 4, 1776. I mean given the state of communications back then no one actually knew that the Declaration of Independence had been signed other than a few people in a small room. But that’s not the point of this article.
Our offices are closed today
Yes, all of our operations are closed today. You can still shop at SolidSignal.com, or find us on Amazon, eBay, or any of the other marketplaces we serve. But our phone reps are off for the day. So are our warehouse staff. Our vendors like DIRECTV and DISH aren’t available for new account activations. In other words, it’s a holiday. Like so many others, actually. Of course we’ll be back at full staff tomorrow, and ready to help.
What does independence mean in an interconnected world?
When the Declaration of Independence was signed those many years ago, it was a way for people to say, “what matters here is important and what matters in Britain isn’t.” In those days, the only people you could talk to instantly were the ones in the same room with you. King George III didn’t even hear of the Declaration for months, since someone had to get on a ship, go all the way to London, and tell him.
Today of course communication is instant. You can talk to someone no matter where you are, and no matter where they are. If you had the right equipment, you could reach people orbiting the earth or in the coldest regions of Antarctica. We don’t even think about it.
We live in a world where we depend on others for news, information, and critical services. It’s a very different place than it was back then. I tend to think that for the most part, that’s a good thing. I mean, we have all these technological wonders that keep us safe and healthy. Plus, we’re not ruled by some faceless group who couldn’t hear our cries for months. We live in a country with a government forged from the ideals in that Declaration from 1776. And I for one think that’s a pretty cool thing.
We have far to go but we’ll get there.
The world of 1776 wasn’t perfect. In fact, the world of 1876 wasn’t perfect and neither was the world of 1976. There’s a fair to middling chance that the world of 2076, which is only 53 years away, won’t be perfect either. But we’re trying. That’s the American spirit. We all work to make things better for everyone. It wasn’t the Declaration but the US Constitution which started, “We, the people of the United States of America, in order to form a more perfect union…”
See? More perfect. (Grammar nerds take note, I understand that’s an inherently flawed phrase. Not the point.) Back in 1789 they knew that we couldn’t ever get to perfection. But we could try to get closer. We can choose, every day, to try to establish justice, promote the general welfare, and all that other stuff. And we can look back at the document signed in Philadelphia those many years ago with pride.
Personally, I’m not working today. I wrote this article last week. I’m out pursuing some happiness of my own. I hope you are too.
