Celebrating 250 Years of The United States

Like many people, I had mixed feelings about the Fourth of July holiday. As someone who spent a career working with political institutions, I have certain expectations when it comes to upholding democratic principles. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are lofty goals, and I’m just not sure our current situation demonstrates the benefits of those beliefs.

Bitter political tensions, combined with a brutal heatwave, made the day even more tragic. I get that people want to believe that climate change is all a hoax meant to propagate liberal views, but weather events like heatwaves, severe flooding, and massive storms are clearly causing impacts. Coming from the engineering industry, I worked with people trying to solve natural problems, which makes me think we need to be a little more proactive here.

So, no, I’m not feeling very patriotic these days. I’m not even sure what that means sometimes, since the meaning seems to be used to place people into certain classifications rather than express a love for our country. But I do love this country and what it stands for. Because despite everything, we still provide better opportunities for people willing to work to achieve a better life.

I know these things are cyclical. After periods of deep pessimism, there’s always a period of renewal. We’ve endured a lot in the last ten years: A pandemic. A riot at the Capitol. Apocalyptic fires. Skyrocketing prices. Things can only get better from here.