I realize this photo isn’t the most traditional of July 4th photos, but Christopher isn’t the most traditional individual. Rather he often works hard at being and doing the opposite of what might be more common, wearing that difference as if it were a badge of distinction. Thomas J. Watson (1874-1956) former President of IBM said:
“Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker.
Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy.
Speak your mind and fear less the label of ‘crackpot’
than the stigma of conformity.
And on issues that seem important to you,
stand up and be counted at any cost.”
...fear less the label of ‘crackpot’ than the stigma of conformity
We Americans take pride in our individualism, our self expression, our voice. We believe that our voice should be heard and can make a difference. It is our constitutional right and our civic responsibility. Perhaps it is not by chance that the first amendment in the Bill of Rights addresses the guarantee to free speech.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
These five guaranteed freedoms “give Americans the right to speak out against injustice, to report about inequality, to protest and petition, and to draw strength from freedom of faith. . . . Yet despite its pivotal role in making America what it is today, there are no fireworks celebrating the First Amendment. The anniversary of its ratification on Dec. 15 goes largely unnoticed.”
So this 4th of July, I think about the ‘crackpots’, the non conformist, those that shout their difference so that we Americans can be independent and free. Happy 4th of July.
Photo Source: from Bethany Wray
