On this 4th of July, while we Americans are celebrating the birth of our great nation, let us challenge ourselves to look beyond our often-myopic view of the world and celebrate something bigger–our inter-dependence. Last year, Shane Claiborne wrote:
We are taught to celebrate independence. But independence and individualism have come at a great price. In the wealthy and industrialized countries we have become the richest people in the world, but we also have some of the highest rates of loneliness, depression, and suicide. We are rich, sad, and lonely. We are living into patterns that not only leave much of the world hungry for bread and starved for justice but also leave us longing for the good life and for meaning and purpose beyond ourselves.
The good news is that we are not alone in the world.
This year, let’s celebrate Interdependence Day — recognizing the fact that we are part of a global neighborhood. Let’s appreciate all the invisible people in our lives, and let’s lament the fact that the human family is terribly dysfunctional.
My challenge for us today…after celebrating our nation’s Independence and even pausing to thank God for it, let’s do something more. Start by reading Shane’s entire article, “This July 4th, Let’s Celebrate Inter-Dependence Day.” Then, pick one of the thirty-eight things on Shane’s list, or come up with something original that you or your family can do today.
How’d it go?