Terry Kilbane

Happy Independence Day! There’s a story from the end of the Revolutionary War I want to tell as we celebrate America’s 250th Birthday, and it’s one everyone in the world can learn from. George Washington, at that moment, after commanding the American forces to victory, was the most powerful man in the new country. Many people talked about making him King of America. Across the ocean, King George was sitting with an American painter, and asked what he thought Washington would do now that the war was ending. The painter said he believed he would go back to his farm. The King said, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.” As the war officially ended, Washington came to speak to Congress and said, “Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from the great theater of Action.” He returned his commission they’d given him in 1775 - after more than 8 years of leading the Americans to victory without pay, and he was home at Mount Vernon for Christmas. Of course, he was elected as our first President a few years later, and after two terms, showed the same selflessness again when he willingly gave up his power and went back to Mount Vernon again. That’s true greatness. He had all the power in the world. But power, alone, does not make you great. Washington’s greatness came from being a true servant - to a cause much bigger than himself. His greatness was his complete lack of selfishness. The whole story of American Independence is a story of selflessness. It’s a story of people who set their self-interest aside and worked for each other. We’ve all heard the line about “We must all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.” Apparently, Ben Franklin might have actually never said that. But that’s fine, because the same mentality is right there in the last line of the Declaration of Independence, published on this day 250 years ago: “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” We mutually pledge to each other. No one was in this alone. No one was in it for themselves. This was a group of people with different backgrounds who were in it for each other. Today is a reminder: greatness comes from what we do for each other, never what we do for ourselves. That’s a lesson that applies no matter what country you call home. It’s a lesson that doesn’t require any law passed by a politician, because, let’s be honest, if you’re waiting for selfless politicians, I really hope you are not holding your breath. All of us have the power to be there for the people around us. For our families and friends. For our neighbors. For everyone. All of us can reach for greatness. It’s as simple as looking beyond yourself, seeing past the mirror, picking your eyes up from your phone, and pledging to be there for each other. Happy Fourth. May you all find your own version of greatness today by lifting each other up. Lift up your neighborhood. Lift up America. Lift up the World.