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The Fourth of July
Why it is my least favorite holiday
It is two days before the almighty holiday of the Fourth of July. I was feeling like I was in the city of Fallujah in Iraq during the American invasion. I felt I was in the cross-hairs of a major bombing campaign. I felt like I was in some kind of Armageddon.
I shook my head and told myself that it was just two days before the Fourth of July. People have been stocking up on fireworks and they just can’t wait for the official day.
Americans love the sound of war.
So what did I do? I put on my headphones, plugged them into my laptop and started listening to music. Oh, Hootie and the Blowfish, please, please, take me away from this hellish existence! Anyone, please take me away…
I listened to song after song and not one of those songs took me back to the heinous and horrific sounds of war that were going on outside my office windows. The music took me instead outside the gruesome desires of humankind. I stepped out of war and into hope, joy, excitement, love, and joy.
I have to admit that I don’t listen to music much anymore. But perhaps the one time of the year I listen to music more than any other time is in the days before and after the Fourth of July. And the reason is to drown out the sounds of war.
