Tonight my youngest watched fireworks for the first time. Her excitement was contagious. She kept pointing out the different colors and shapes and shouting out with unrestrained joy. At one point she yelled, “I love fireworks!”
It was delightful!
But while she saw beautiful lights and colors in the sky, I noticed something quite different.
What I see in fireworks
I observed heavy smoke thick with that distinct smell which is remarkably like gunpowder. I saw white lights rising and falling in a way quite reminiscent of cannon fire, as we have seen it portrayed in the movies. And I heard sounds virtually indistinguishable from gunfire.
I heard and saw the sounds of century old wars. I kept hearing the lines from the Star Spangled Banner, which describe the flag standing in the midst of a battle, lit up by the light of gunfire and cannons:
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
http://www.songlyrics.com/francis-scott-key/star-spangled-banner-lyrics/
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
It was sobering.
Because we may historically celebrate with fireworks, but in many ways the fireworks can and should be seen as a remembrance of some very sobering realities.
But most people there were just delighted with the dazzling light display and a chance to make noise with firecrackers.
And I just kept thinking about the commentary on humanity – that we can completely forget something while we continue celebrating it.
We forget to celebrate our heritage.
Certainly Independence Day is a time to remember our history, not just a time to eat ribs and ice cream.
But what about religious holidays? Our culture tends to co-opt holidays and turn them into something sentimental (like family together time) or consumer-driven (more presents anyone?).
Even relatively minor holidays like Valentine’s Day or Hannakuh have become changed and are now focused on fun, games, entertainments, and gifts, when they should be times for sober reflection on the reasons for the day.
Now, I’m not against having fun, family, together time. That’s one of the great things about holidays! And certainly, fireworks on Independence Day are lovely and fun for the children.
But if we spend no time pausing to think about the reasons the day is remembered, then the day has lost all real value to us as a people or a faith.
We also forget to celebrate people.
Somehow, birthdays have become a time for dessert and gifts. But really, a birthday is an opportunity to celebrate a person’s entrance into the world – a time to remember that the world is richer because that person exists. We don’t need presents for that.
Anniversaries often become the one night mom and dad actually get a babysitter and spend three hours at the dinner theater. But really, anniversaries are a time to remember the reasons we value the other person and choose to spend our lives together.
Presents are always fun and welcomed, but without time spent reflecting on the value of the other person, we have totally missed the point of the day.
This isn’t a rant on consumerism. I like to buy gifts as much as the next person.
But it is a rant about forgetting.
Because if we don’t remember, then we cannot learn, and if we cannot learn, we cannot grow.