July 4th

Why do we celebrate July 4th?

In all honesty, the Declaration of Independence was legally a meaningless document. It would be like a child who wrote down on a sheet of paper that they were no longer part of the family. That would not actually make them separated.

So a bunch of guys gathered together in Pennsylvania sign a document, so what. The document was not recognized by the British and without action it would always be meaningless. So where does it get its meaning?

I think leadership.

Commitment: 56 men gathered together and rather than just complaining they committed to do something about the injustice they were dealing with. They committed themselves to a cause and and put themselves out there as leaders of this cause.

Risk-Taking: They were risking their lives when they signed that document. It was treasonous and if the war had failed they would all have been killed.

Vision: In this document they were laying out a vision for a new government. By claiming that the actions of the king (and Parliament - king was easier to pick on, but it was really parliament) were wrong, they were committing to never support a government that had those characteristics. Therefore, they were laying out a new vision for leadership and governance in the nation from here on out.

These are just three of the characteristics of great leaders: commitment, risk-taking, and vision. We celebrate this day because it is a celebration that we as a country had leaders who were willing to lead and sacrifice to make this a land of freedom and justice.

So shoot off some minor explosives today, grill some animal flesh, and bust out some Lee Greenwood.

Happy 4th.