To Be Free, Independent

It takes a village to grow a dump.

That thought crossed my mind as I walked Woof and Wolf, my ten-month-old Bichon Frise pups earlier today.

Roots and relationships go deep with family and neighbors, don't they?

As we passed a dump by my home, I noticed that piles of paper, debris, bottles and cans fill that site of boulders and pastoral greens.

The dump got started when builders began what they could not complete. A pressed economy halted homes from being erected. So, foundations are laid.

This huge field, however, remains, where residents and visitors, seem to pile on this dump.

Does freedom mean the ability to do as I please?

Does it mean to pollute and throw garbage where I want to rid it from myself?

Is selfish, self-centeredness the aim of America?

Am I independent and free this July 4th?

To be free hardly means to be self-sufficient with reckless disregard for others and creation.

Are we not inter-dependent as Americans?

To be free, productive and sharing are noble purposes for each American.

Does it not take a village to raise a family, a community, and, even a dump, for that matter?

Happy Fourth of July America!