To me, independence means simply having your own separate thoughts, feelings, and how you view the world, separate of another person, societal influence or systemic agendas. I believe we think of independence in the context of a person's economic status but to me, it means so much more.
Before I go further, let me give you the historical background for the reason why our country celebrates and recognizes Independence Day as a federal holiday below:
"Independence Day is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence of the United States on July 4, 1776. The Continental Congress declared that the thirteen American colonies were no longer subject to the monarch of Britain and were now united, free, and independent states. The Congress had voted to declare independence two days earlier, on July 2, but it was not declared until July 4 (Wikipedia, 2019)."
I'm so guilty of only looking forward to this holiday to a) have a free day off work and b) to get my party on celebrating at someone's bbq, picnic and to see all of the beautiful fireworks at night because in Chicago, you can hear the fireworks throughout your neighborhood in the early parts of June and up until a week or two after the 4th of July. This year, while planning my content, I saw that this federal holiday fell on the day of my blog schedule.
I started thinking about the significance of the word independence and what does it actually means to me. Of course while I was brainstorming on my thoughts, I googled to find a definition and here is what I found: "The fact or state of being independent." Of course this left me no real definition obviously which further my brainstorming session lol.
Being independent involves the separation of something. That something for me, is separating my thoughts, feelings and actions from others and owning my own feelings, thoughts and actions. As Kevin Hart says, let me explain...... I grew up in a traditional two parent household, my parents are still married, I never needed for nothing. I was taught everything from the viewpoints of my parents. As I turned 30 years old, I noticed that I was operating in and dependent upon what others said or did (co-dependence). I decided to change that ASAP! Something about turning 30 years old will make you do things you've never done before.
I sat out to see the world and myself from my own lens and not merely from what I've learned from my parents, school, family friends and so forth. There is so much to learn in this short life that we are given to live and my goal every day is to learn something new. To me, that's INDEPENCE! Enjoy the holiday if you're off work today.
What does independence mean to you? Post your thoughts in the comments.
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