Independence Day, 249th Anniversary and Counting! The Big Reveal on What We’ve Learned About America from the Old Days to Present Times

Preview Summary –

• America’s national anthem isn’t just a patriotic melody, while Independence Day isn’t just about parades, cookouts and music festivals.
• When the anthem reaches its crescendo or the nation rises to the occasion, there’s a shift in consciousness that happens in lyrics and legacy.
• For the 65% of Americans who feel exhausted when they think about politics, there’s a combo of civics and empowerment (like an ‘Empowerade’ booster) to raise the consciousness of the nation.

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Main Content:

America’s national anthem, aka the “Star-Spangled Banner”, has become a fixture at sporting events, including Olympic medal or other championship ceremonies. It’s also an obvious go-to at patriotic occasions like those celebrated around Independence Day. The full anthem isn’t sung or played on most occasions. But the last sentence is repeated in all the four verses. Those words appear as a question at the end of the first verse. Then a shift occurs when those same words appear as a statement in the remaining verses, as in “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.”

The significance of Independence Day for any nation represents a time when freedom became more real in a legal, political and civic sense. It’s when residents began to have a greater role in self-determination and public affairs. There’s a much deeper meaning though as for some groups the milestone fell short. Their freedoms came as a later struggle towards a more perfect Union. In other words, Independence Day is more than just parades, cookouts and music festivals. It also symbolizes an ‘awakening’ in the consciousness of a nation.  

What if the consciousness of the nation, based on awareness of oneself in the civic/social space and broader world was approached with the same passion as we do with AI in the tech space? These days AI is playing an increasing role in society. But before there was social media, the consciousness of the nation took shape around social impact and public-good factors. In one sense, that’s a big reveal on what we’ve learned about America from the old days to present times. Our nation’s journey had a shift in consciousness from asking the question, “O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?”, to stating it as an affirmation.

In business, Fred Smith, the late founder of FedEx comes to mind. His journey was of getting past questions folks had on whether his company would be profitable. Some industry players thought his idea, while understandable, wasn’t doable. At times he had to ask staff to wait a week to cash their checks. His story of revisiting a college term paper and turning questions into a commercial enterprise is a business version of what others have achieved through social movements. Beyond Dr. King as figurehead for the civil rights movement, there’s Gregory Watson who led the charge for the 27th Amendment; Stevie Wonder who fought for the MLK Holiday; and Dr. Opal Lee who advocated for the Juneteenth holiday.

Here we are at another moment in time where we can add to history and legacy. Based on the current social climate and crosswinds in public policy, maybe we’re at a similar point, as folks question the next phase of America’s journey. With Independence Day, 249^th anniversary and counting, we gotta look at the things we question that are ‘out-of-pocket’ or unacceptable or unequal or represent an injustice. Let’s figure out how we turn those questions into action statements. To make that happen we gotta rollout a Civic Revolution that isn’t about sticks & stones or cannons and bombs, but instead about:          

1. An Upshift in Consciousness

If you follow the story from 1776 to present, on the road to a more perfect Union, our nation’s journey has advanced based on Independence that came through a shift in consciousness. Folks no longer wanted to be ruled by a king but preferred a route of self-determination. Unfortunately, blacks and others were left out of that formula so there were missing elements to those newfound freedoms. Other more inclusive opportunities came about later through what might be called an upshift in consciousness. Folks had to kick-in the ‘turbo’ factor to help America understand why the racial status quo wasn’t acceptable.             

2. A Boost in Hope

An important ingredient to survival is hope. When hope isn’t lost, there’s a chance of rising again. One of the legacy aspects of Independence was in the hope folks had for a new nation. They began to see new possibilities and explore new frontiers. But a related ingredient to survival is change. It’s been said that the only constant in life is change. The seasons change year in, year out. There’s the constant in what we expect from the seasons and there’s the change that comes with each season. In America, there’s the constant that comes with daily life. But there’s change required for each round of making progress.      

3. A Jolt in Passion

While it’s important to keep hope alive, that hasn’t been enough to get America to level up. That comes with a jolt in passion. The passion of a nation feeds off the consciousness of a nation, in the same way that passion in business might feed-off market awareness. Maybe what kept Fred Smith and FedEx going through those early years was the glimmer of hope that kept the lights on and the jolt of passion that kept the delivery truck wheels turning. That passion isn’t always about how much noise one makes in the marketplace or social space, but more about how much positive movement one creates through actions. 

4. A Mark in History

Some holidays provide one-size-fits-all meaning behind the occasion, while others might be more specific to certain groups. Independence Day has a more universal message. It represents a mark in history like a before-and-after view in weight loss, or a black & white then, but color picture now in tv technology. A high mark in history helps us savor the moment in time. But some low marks occurred when there was less conscience or consciousness in the nation. In other words, some marks in history show up as turning back the hands of time and others as moving the nation forward for the ages.

Are we progressing as a nation, or regressing in our politics? A Pew Research Poll from 2024 revealed that 65% of Americans feel exhausted when they think about politics. As with sports, work or other activities, when we’re exhausted, we’re likely to pull back or step away. Athletes often go to the sidelines and refresh with Gatorade or similar energy boosters. To provide the same relief for residents in the civic/social space, like those who’ve check-out from the issues or are wearing blinders, we need a combo of civics and empowerment (like an ‘Empowerade’ booster) to raise the consciousness of the nation.

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Tracks: Alicia Keys – Underdog – https://youtu.be/izyZLKIWGiA?si=z06J9zfo986CGFbj

Jon Baptiste – Freedom – https://youtu.be/3YHVC1DcHmo?si=Q7mZLGgh6VsyvQJu