Independence Day -

Pull out your phone and read the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence out loud. It is only 242 words. It will take you 90 seconds. It will give you chills.

That silence is the sound of soldiers not marching down your street. That silence is the sound of a press printing whatever it wants without government approval. That silence is the sound of you getting to live your life—however messy, boring, or beautiful it is—without asking for permission. Independence Day

More Than Just a Day Off: Reflecting on the Cost of Freedom Pull out your phone and read the second

But sometimes, in the middle of the potato salad and the pool floats, we forget to ask the obvious question: What are we actually celebrating? Two hundred and forty-eight years ago, a group of men in Philadelphia signed a document that was essentially a break-up letter to the most powerful empire on earth. It was treason. If they lost, they would be hanged. It will give you chills

Happy Independence Day. May we always be brave enough to defend the silence.