Dcn Tom Lindell

My Brothers and Sisters,

Today we celebrate our declaration of independence from Britain and its King George III (so comically depicted in the musical Hamilton). It was on this day that the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, declared that the thirteen colonies who were at war with the Kingdom of Great Britain were now independent sovereign states. The Declaration of Independence has become a well-known statement on human rights, particularly its second sentence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Currently, we find ourselves conflicted about what the Constitution means for our relatively new democracy. We openly struggle with the meaning of the text of the Constitution and whether we must interpret it literally or if we are invited into new ways of understanding through recognition of how this country has adapted to change over the past 246 years.

Religions with their sacred texts also have this problem. It can be scary to gravitate outside the comfort and certainty of the literal word. May we be forgiven for our inability to adapt to a changing world? As a scientist, I live with ambiguity and accept that certainty is constantly challenged by new discoveries. Just as life has evolved, we must not stagnate in place. We need to move with the flow of life. Do we have a choice?

As a youth, July 4 was celebrated with fireworks. We ordered them through the mail and anxiously visited our small-town local rail line for deliveries every day. We were finally rewarded with assortments of firecrackers that we equitably distributed to all who contributed.

On one July 4 holiday, I was in the back yard lighting individual Jumbo Brand firecrackers to throw. One had a very fast fuse and went off in my hand, leaving some painful blood blisters on my fingers. Sheepishly I told my mom what I had done, and she simply said, “Well, you will just have to go visit Doc Sherman.” So, I got on my bike and met Doc Sherman at his office to have him lance my blisters. Lesson painfully learned.

Truth be known, I had a wooden box of those firecrackers from my youth, still in my possession until this past year. Included in the box was a hand-written inventory dated July 3, 1956, which indicated that I had 1600 firecrackers left.

I finally decided that they probably presented a hazard that I needed to address. Regretfully, I put them in a pail, flooded them with water, and ultimately placed them in the garbage for disposal.

May you have a safe and sane July 4!

—Dcn Tom