The Enlightenment

Last July 4th, I wrote on this blog about the nostalgia that stirred in me that day.

Now I want to talk about some observations I made while I was celebrating our country’s Independence.

As I was doing last-minute shopping for July 4th, I was struck by the grief that seemed to cloud the workers at the supermarket. The man at the cash register stood out to me in particular.

He stared numbly as he scanned my items, but there was also a tinge of pain hidden behind his dead eyes. I seemed to me he was in anguish that he was stuck in the store working instead of preparing for July 4th himself.

That’s why I didn’t wish him a Happy July Fourth. It seemed to me it would have been insulting to him, and the “Thank you, you too!” he would have given back would have drained him of the energy he needed to swipe the hundreds of other customers that day.

How can we possibly pay homage to Independence Day when we have a whole class of people working that day to service the rest of us?

This injustice cannot stand. Everyone deserves to celebrate Independence Day, so you know what I say? Grocery stores should not be open July 4th. Period, end of story, no exceptions. Do all your shopping on July 3rd or earlier.

Don’t worry, the stores will be open July 5th. You’re not going to die. Take the day to reflect on the self-responsibility that we always seem to crow on about in the US.

Let the workers take a break and spend a day with their families. Let the rest of us learn to prepare ahead of time (myself included) and just enjoy the damn day without worrying about last minute shopping.