The American spirit of independence is deeply ingrained in our society. We take it to mean that as adults, we can pay our way in life.

We call all the shots.

Lately, I’ve heard independence and freedom used interchangeably, but there is a difference. None of us are off the hook for participating as contributing members of something greater than ourselves which implies a lack of pure freedom.

In second grade, I had the realization that everything we do impacts others. My incredibly woke 7-year-old-self related that to flushing the toilet, realizing that it led to the sewers, into the river, and into Lake Ontario, where the fish were floating dead on the surface.

Thousands of dead fish made what looked like a solid coating on the water’s surface. It turned out that a lot more than flushed toilets were to blame. The very active manufacturing concerns in my hometown were much heavier contributors.

Still, though, today, that thought has stuck with me. How is what I am about to do going to impact others?

It does not keep me from making decisions that are in my greatest interest, but it can often inform the approach I take or nudge me to find a better solution.

More purposeful, less selfish. Independent but not totally free.

Having just celebrated Independence Day, we must remember that we are not free from our obligations to each other.

As a child, we cannot wait to “be the boss” of us. As an adult, we realize it is not all that glamorous. We are still accountable to others.

I hope you enjoyed your Independence Day celebrations, and I hope you will remember that independence comes with a level of accountability and responsibility that sets us all free.

Forgive me if I get a little preachy here. It’s just been on my mind a lot the past few weeks.

What’s on your mind during these times of dramatic change?

Mary