Six Words on a Boardwalk Bench
By Bill Quain
This week’s column about the Fourth of July might be one for the record books. July 4 has been getting a bum rap. Instead of hearing “Wow, our country is celebrating its 247th birthday,” we are hearing “The people who started our country were bad.” Folks, I gotta tell ya, it worries me.
When a Record Has an Asterisk (Six Words)
When a record has an asterisk (that little * symbol), it means there is a circumstance surrounding that record that should be considered. Say for example that at 70 years old, I ran a mile in less than four minutes. There would have to be an asterisk next to my name in the record book, because the only way I could do it would be if I was running down a very steep road, with a 30-mph wind at my back, and a car was pulling me along with a rope. Did I break the four minute mile barrier and get a record for a man that age? Technically yes. But let’s face it, it wasn’t exactly to Olympic Standards.
Of course, other athletes (and I do consider myself an athlete) have similar asterisk-worthy records. Several home-run hitters had performance enhancing drugs, or cork-filled bats. Bike riders, swimmers, track and field athletes, mountain climbers, golfers, and people in all kinds of sports have asterisked notations. (Is “asterisked” a word? Maybe I need to put an asterisk next to it just to be sure.)
Let’s Get Back to The Fourth (Six Words)
I am reading a fantastic book called “Indivisible: Daniel Webster and the Birth of American Nationalism.” It’s about the time in American History between the end of the Revolution and the beginning of the Civil War. After reading this book you might think “Wow, those politicians were really awful. They were prejudiced, nasty, and duplicitous. Many of them were slave owners. Let’s put an asterisk next to the Fourth of July, because if this is how politicians acted then, it’s safe to say that the Founding Fathers were just as bad.” And you know what? You’d be correct! They had serious flaws.
America: Always a Work in Progress (Six Words)
We’ve come a long way, and we still have a long way to go. We’ve almost “blown it” several times in our country’s history. Certainly, the Civil War was a terrible event, but it wasn’t an isolated incident. When you study history, you’ll see that the situations we face today have a long history of their own. But every single bit of United States history began on one date – July 4, 1776, when a group of very imperfect men met in Philadelphia and declared their intentions to begin a brand-new country, founded on principles of equality and liberty. And that is worth celebrating!
Were You Perfect on YOUR Birthday? (Six Words)
When you were born, you couldn’t do anything. Should we put an asterisk next to your birthday? And what about all that trouble you gave your parents while you were growing up? How many asterisks should we sprinkle all over your report cards, drivers’ license, marriage certificates, resumes, etc.? Yet every year, most of us still insist on recognizing “our special day” – because that’s when it all started. And that’s why we celebrate the Fourth of July – because it was when our country started. (And just like your birthday, it started with a lot of crying!)
I Love The Fourth of July (Six Words)
Fireworks, parades, baseball, apple pie, hot dogs – this holiday has it all! But it also has a special message for all Americans. Those original Founding Fathers were giants of freedom. They saw a world with problems. Instead of complaining about it or waiting for someone else to do something about it, they actually put their lives on the line. They created a special document, and signed their names to it so that there would be no going back. And after fighting a bloody war for Independence, they created a Constitution. They split our government into three separate branches, so that each of them could curtail the power of the others. And guess what? It still isn’t perfect. But, if it was perfect, they probably would not let people like me or you live here.
The Last Fourth of July Celebration? (Six Words)
Wherever our national journey takes us, let’s take it together. Let’s protect the miracle of our nations’ founding by celebrating the fact that it even began. It was a close call, and we’ve had plenty since then. And, if we’re not careful, there might come a time when we have the last Fourth of July Celebration, and not even know it.. until it is too late.
How Do YOU Celebrate The Fourth? (Six Words)
Okay, it’s time to share. What’s your Fourth of July celebration like? Do you put an asterisk on the Fourth, or do you take it for what it is… the birthday of the country that we are blessed to live in? Send your thoughts to bill@quain.com. Put “Six Words on a Boardwalk Bench” in the subject line. I’ll put your comments in a future column. And, as I say each week,
I’ll see you in the papers!
Bill is a Professor in Stockton University’s Hospitality Management Program. He is the author of 27 books, and a highly-respected speaker. Even though he is almost totally blind, Bill is a long-distance runner and runs the Ocean City Half Marathon each year. He lives in Ocean City with his wife Jeanne, and his Guide Dog Trudy. Visit www.billquain.com or email him at bill@quain.com.
