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Fourth of July 2020: A Wish for Better
I normally take the holiday off to spend time with friends and family. While I will be doing the same this year as much as currently possible, things are very different for all of us this 4th of July.
I wanted to share some brief thoughts with you. I grew up in a one-bedroom apartment in a working-class neighborhood in the Bronx. In some ways, our building was more like the United Nations than the rundown, roach-infested tenement it was. Our neighbors came from all over the world. We had blacks and whites, Jews and Gentiles, Irish families, Italians, Turks, Russians, Puerto Ricans and Romanians. All of the families had the same thing in common—they or their parents had come to America to find a new and better life. That commonality drew us together, and all of the families, beyond being neighbors, were friends. Kids were watched over, and help was always an apartment away. Without a lot of money, we shared food and stories and, most of all, pride at being Americans, being part of something so great that the future for their scruffy kids, including my brother and me, seemed an endless possibility.
On no day was that pride more evident than the 4th of July. We celebrated with family members and friends, time in the park, kids playing together, a special family meal—usually hotdogs and hamburgers—and evening fireworks and memories that linger more than 60 years later. Of the many things we shared, perhaps the greatest of all was being part of something incredibly grand and wonderful. We were and are Americans.
During these very difficult times, my greatest wish is that we realize how truly lucky we are to live in this country. I pray that we regain focus on what bonds us together rather than what separates us. America is not perfect, but after traveling all over the world, it is the place I yearn to come home to. Always.
I wish all of you a safe and happy 4th of July spent with family and friends, a cautious one, and a path to a better one next year. GBA
Want to share your perspective? Write
to Dr. Epstein at artepstein@optometricphysician.com.
The views expressed in this editorial are solely those of the
author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the
editorial board, Jobson Medical Information LLC (JMI), or any other
entities or individuals. |
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