When
I was a kid growing up in Queens during the early 1960’s, I used to look so
forward to the fourth of July. Mr. Forgione, the neighbor living directly across
the street from us, would drive his Cadillac to the end of our dead-end block
which was adjacent to acres of empty lot, a perfect location to simulate a war
zone. Lit cigar positioned in the corner of his mouth, he would sanctimoniously
exit his vehicle and walk in what appeared to be slow motion towards the rear
of the car. We watched impatiently as Mr. F took his sweet time nonchalantly sorting
through the dozens of keys on his filled to capacity key ring, feeling for the
one which would unlock his trunk, finally revealing the treasure chest of illegal
thrills. He pretended to be bored with the annual ritual, ignoring the yelps of
excitement coming from all the neighborhood kids who marveled at the vast
amount of explosives he generously shared with us year after year. It was the one
day when my dad freely handed over his cigarettes to me so I could light the
fuses of whatever fireworks I got my hands upon. Every now and then when he
wasn’t looking, I would sneak a drag because, somehow, it made me feel cool.
Our
block put on quite the fireworks display. Although we may have been a far cry
from Grucci and the extravaganza staged by Macy’s, we believed it was most
spectacular. The end of our street looked like a scene out of World War II.
Bottle rockets, sky rockets, cherry bombs, sparklers, helicopters, and mats
upon mats of firecrackers filled the sky with showers of shimmering light and
thunderous booms and bangs. I used to think Mr. Forgione had to be a
millionaire to be able to afford the infinite supply of fireworks he
religiously donated to the 137th Street Independence Day
Celebration.
I
distinctly recall how on the morning of every July 5th, my friend
and neighbor Bob Donohue would waddle up to my house and ring my doorbell first
thing in the morning so we could scour the fields looking for duds. We
collected the hundreds of firecrackers that didn’t ignite the night before,
took them home, emptied the gunpowder and built our own super bomb. Curious,
inventive, naïve and stupid, one year we stuffed the explosive dust into a
glass jar along with bits of homemade shrapnel, which contained nuts, bolts and
pebbles. We then attached a long fuse, and after our day-long project was
complete, we returned to the sight of the previous night’s battleground, and
placed our concoction inside one of the huge cement cylinders that sat like a
mysterious structure in the middle of the lot, reminiscent of an ancient Sphinx
or Stonehenge. One day in the future I
learned the weed-filled acres would soon be occupied with new roads and homes
and the mysterious structures were nothing more than dry wells. We assumed it
was a safe distance away from the homes bordering the lot. Experiencing the
thrill of creating some mischief, we lit the fuse and ran for our lives.
Standing at the edge of our street, we watched and waited. From where we stood,
we could barely make out the sizzling of the slow burning fuse, and then
suddenly we heard the loudest explosion echo from inside the walls of the dry
well and immediately following the blast, I felt a sharp pain radiating from my
shin. Not knowing what had hit me or bit me, I looked down to see blood trickle
down my leg. My injury was caused by a fragment of the shrapnel that had been
launched from our homespun weapon. “Shit!” I yelped in anger, “How could I be
so stupid?” I hobbled home, disinfected my wound, and applied a bandage. Bob
and I went back to the dry well the next day to see the extent of the damage
caused by our little bomb. A few of the tiny screws were imbedded into the once
grey cement walls that had been blackened by the blast. When I think about how
such an amateurish, makeshift concoction assembled by two stupid kids could
cause such harm, I could only imagine the devastation brought about by the real
thing.
Say
or think what you will, but I am no longer a fan of fireworks or the Fourth of
July. Let’s face it, fireworks represent the “bombs bursting in air,” and to
me, bombs only mean bloodshed, death and destruction. I thoroughly understand
how Independence Day is supposedly a celebration of our country’s independence,
yet at the same time I wonder about how free we really are. Granted, compared
to the rest of the world, I guess we can safely pretend to be free. The
question is, from what and from whom have we been liberated? According to the
pages of history, courageous souls from England flocked to these shores seeking
religious freedom. Once they got here, they encountered the American Indians,
who as far as I could tell, had it pretty together, spiritually speaking. They
saw and revered the wondrous workings of nature. Along came the white man with
his Monotheistic God, his Christianity, its doctrine and its many variations,
and before long, Native American spirituality went out the window and religion
set its nasty claws into the soil of the brave new world, setting the stage for
rape, bloodshed, greed, deception and slavery; all Godly behavior I’m certain!
Not
for anything, but the biggest culprits of unrest and global violence all stem
from the three religions that emanated from the god of Abraham; Christianity,
Judaism and Islam. From their inception to this very day, people are dying
unnecessarily over religious differences. Why is it that absolutely no blood
has ever been spilled over Eastern religions such as Buddhism or Hinduism? To
me, all religion is delusional and unproven, but if I had to choose one, it
would certainly be one that propagates non-violence!
So
here we are in the 21st century, in the land of the free, the
melting pot of race and religion, where government is deceitful and people are
divided. When I see the flags waving and the fireworks exploding on this Fourth
of July, I have to ask myself if Americans really believe they are as free as
they think they are. Admittedly, I agree that up until now, our freedoms have
been better than those of most other countries around the globe. We do not live
under the reign of a mad dictator…yet! As far as I’m concerned, freedom means
not having to live in fear, judgment, prejudice and anxiety, yet we live in a
nation where millions pop anti-depressants daily, where people are judged by
race, creed and sexual preference, and where churches are full of those who
claim to be believers because they live in fear of the consequences of a place
of eternal torment, Hell! We drive along roadways where there are hidden
cameras at almost every intersection waiting to catch an unsuspecting driver
streak past a yellow light. Technology makes it possible for government
agencies to pinpoint our every move through the use of our cell phones, credit
cards and E-Z passes. We are scanned, screened and body searched at airports,
sporting arenas and concert venues. I have read that as much as 53% of every
tax dollar has gone to funding the wars most of us are opposed to. Try and stop
paying your taxes and see where that lands you! We live in a nation where
politicians continue to lie, cheat and live adulterous lives, yet because they
have been initiated into the “club,” their futures are secure with comfortable
pensions and lifelong medical coverage, while the citizens of the country can’t
find jobs with salaries substantial enough to meet the high cost of living,
have lost their life savings due to the fraud on Wall Street, and can’t afford
medical insurance. A rumor that Social Security may no longer exist for future
generations is a disheartening thought to say the least. Are we really free?
It
has been said that “The truth shall set you free!” I guess the answer is to
find the truth. The one truth we all can be sure about is that we die. Where we
go after we die is all speculation and in many cases wishful thinking. So
basically, all we can be sure about is that once we are born we are on the
inevitable path to our death. That should be more than enough to make humans
realize we are all equal. No one is any better than the next. The simple notion
of our mortality should be reason enough to squash our egos and inspire us to
live as one. I think if and only when we are able to come to that place,
we may finally be on the path to freedom. Until then, let’s all take a long
hard look into the mirror and face the sad truth…we just pretend to be free.
No comments:
Post a Comment