June 27, 2007
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independence vs freedom
Why do we celebrate independence but not freedom? They are clearly different. Independence is the lesser virtue if it is even a virtue at all. It is neither necessary nor sufficient in order to be free. Many living in this country back when we gained Independence were not at all free, were in fact slaves.
Indeed, I think it is even possible to be free and yet wholly dependent. This seems clearly true, unless we would think that merely because children depend upon their parents for survival that they are enslaved to them. No. You can be wholly beholden unto others but still be free even if exercising that freedom may well lead to your destruction.
Perhaps we celebrate independence rather than freedom because freedom is an ideal that you strive toward but can never be fully realized whereas independence is something concrete you can reach through a set of actions and accomplishments. Once you are self employed you are independent of your job. Once you grow up and leave home you are independent of your parents. Once your nation breaks off from England and England stops trying to force you to remain their colony then you have become independent.
But that doesn’t mean that we are free. Rather, we were somewhat free before and somewhat free after and the act of becoming independent didn’t make us even a tiny bit more free.
Is it worth celebrating then? Maybe. Certainly it probably felt good to be independent. Independence is often associated with greater power and power is usually pretty intoxicating, dangerously so.
Minimally we can celebrate what the United States has become now so many years after it obtained its independence which is without a doubt a much freer and better society than it was then. Would we have been as free had we not gained our independence? Who can say? But that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate our moment on independence that put us on the current course in light of what has come to be as a result of being on that course. Likewise it would be equally reasonable to celebrate the day we had chosen to be dependent upon England and become its colony had such a day ever occurred in light of whatever future good occurred under that course of history.
Besides, any excuse to take a day off is a good thing.
