In(ter)dependence Day

Who are we kidding?

Historically, the 4th of July has never been a celebration of in-dependence from Great Britain. We had ample plunder here in the 'New' world; they were the ones dependent on us in order to maintain an expanding empire. What we are really celebrating, then, is the refusal to be subjugated and oppressed by a dominant nation (so that we, ourselves, might subjugate, oppress, and dominate others - what a concept!).

Of course, it's a purely semantic argument, but are all arguments not in essence about words and the meaning of words? At least, in my household they tend to be ("What do you mean by that?!").

Independence is a word. Like all words, it is a sign meant to convey meaning. We understand what it means, you and I, but we rarely stop to notice that it is possibly one of the most false, misleading words in the language. What, after all, is truly independent of anything else in this universe? In the eternal words of They Might Be Giants: "There's only one everything." Across the entirety of time and space, everything that has ever happened or will happen, everything that has ever been or will be, has led to the creation of FT3. No exceptions. FT3, in other words, is nothing less than a manifestation of the universe in its entirety. 

Ours is a world completely inter-dependent in every conceivable sense of the word. It's a convenient concept, but Independence simply does not exist in the world.

Don't get me wrong; I'm all for celebrating the 4th of July - especially if it involves imbibing a cool American beverage with similarly patriotic brethren while spiritedly re-creating some fateful Revolutionary ride on our knobby-shod equine equivalents.

Bring one speed, or bring 'em all. Just bring it.

TGIFT3.