Tomorrow is Sunday, a holy day for many in America. The day after that is our American Idependence Day.
One has many rules for many about how one should conduct one's self on a Sunday. The other doesn't really have many rules at all, just the usual secular ones that apply to everyone about not hurting anyone else as you celebrate, the same rules that apply to every other day of the year. Regardless, people of all walks of life generally do the same kinds of things. Birds of a feather do indeed lock together, and we all share this particular feather of Independence Day, at least for now, for as long as the Bible thumpers spare us from their interpretations of the holiday and their inevitable rules about what you should do and think on this particular day. Hot dogs and fireworks, after all, are frivilous. They might be frivilous, but nearly every damn person, no matter his or her color or stripe or beliefs here in America -- myself perhaps the only exception proving the rule -- enjoys this friviloty and flocks to it. Let them, I say. Allow nature to take its course.
This year, the two holidays, if you will allow me to characterize Sunday as such, fall back to back. Regardless of the day or year, even when the two fall on the very same day, we should take great care in separating them, separating how we think about them.
The snakehandlers in Florida are forcing Christian dogma into their teaching of history. Christianity has certainly played a central role in history, especially in America, and should be taught, just not the dogma part. Maybe you don't like that one particular publisher of textbooks printed math word problems about Justin traveling from New York to Chicago at 85mph because he was in such a rush to get home to pound his husband, Jeremy, which is roughly the worst verified example I have heard in relation to today's CRT panic. Maybe the fact 10% of Justins have always wanted to pound 10% of Jeremys in their bedrooms and the many efforts of organized religion to stop this behavior or ignore this fact should be saved for history or social studies class. But I, too, think not every lesson should be taught through the lens of racial oppression, nor should every lesson be taught through a Christian lens. You should teach
of the dogma, not preach it.
For the dogma separates people, and I say allow birds of a feather to flock together. Do not declare which of your feathers is best and shun from the flock those who do not possess them, push them out of your tight formation, your group, your flock, to leave them behind to struggle on their own, to eventually tire and settle wherever their failing wings find them -- alone, their odds of survival much worse. If he survives, he will be stronger, but at what cost? At what cost to those enjoying the relative ease and safety of the flock?
I urge you all to celebrate this long weekend as you will. Me? I'm not much for parties any year, but this year I feel more isolated than I normally do. I feel more isolated than that natural level that is my nature, my personal norm, that odd equilibrium I seek out, that I instinctually find without really knowing where I'm going. This year, maybe I will just sit outside and watch the birds fly by.
