MARINA DEL REY, CA--Why is it that so many Americans don't know about or seem to care what is really being celebrated on July 4? asked a senior writer for the Ayn Rand Institute.
"It is partly because America's leaders and intellectuals are trying to move us further and further away from the philosophy stated or implied in the Declaration of Independence, the philosophy of independence that created this country," said Dr. Michael Berliner, also the former executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute.
Dr. Berliner noted that we hear daily from politicians, intellectuals and the media that independence is passĀ, that we've reached a new age of "interdependence." "We hear demands for mandatory 'volunteering' to serve society, for sacrifice to the nation. We hear constant condemnations of those who choose not to serve others. But this is not the message of America. It is the direct opposite of why America became a beacon of hope for the truly oppressed throughout the world. They have come here to escape poverty and dictatorship; they have come here to live their own independent lives, where they aren't owned by the state, the community, or the tribe."
"Independence is the foundation of America," said Dr. Berliner. "Independence is what should be celebrated--not mere separation from England--but the independent soul of the individual who does not sacrifice his mind to the state, the church, the race, the nation or his neighbors. That is the legacy our Founding Fathers left us. It is a legacy we should keep, not because it is a legacy, but because it is right and just. It is independence that has made America the freest and most prosperous country in history."
Ayn Rand Institute senior writer Dr. Onkar Ghate is available for interviews on this topic.
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