FLY OVER ZONE HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!
As America turns 250, this essay reflects on natural beauty, shared needs, and how unity, compassion, and resolve can guide the nation beyond today’s divisions.
Dan Schunks Staff Writer
July 3, 2026
Happy birthday, America. 250, wow. None of us can fathom that. There are mornings when I get up that I imagine that‘s what it feels like to be 250 years old, but that’s probably me just being an old grump, trying to get some sympathy from my better half. It never works. I don’t know why I keep trying, but old habits die hard.
Along those same lines, there have been times over the last quarter of a millennium when I am sure there were those who thought the same about the country. It harkens back to when Ben Franklin was asked what kind of government the new nation would have, and he replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.”
Old Ben was a pretty sharp cookie, and he knew human nature and the desire to toss in the towel when things got rough. It is much like when the Children of Israel were pinned against the Red Sea and some were saying it was better to die a slave with a full belly than follow Moses. Resolve takes courage and inner strength, continually.
The United States is a nation gifted with great natural beauty and you don’t have to look or travel far to find it. Even here, in our own backyard, there are scenes that should give you pause. Sometimes we become so accustomed to their presence that we take them for granted. You may travel to other parts of the country and see exquisite scenes of nature, but whether near or far, the great majority of these scenes have one thing in common: the scene you are admiring is comprised of many different parts to make the total picture.
Locally, I have always admired the scene on 67 south, just past Y junction, as you top the hill and begin to descend. Looking straight ahead, you see the rolling St. Francis Mountains. You can get the close-up look as you travel south of Farmington on the same road, towards Fredericktown. In comparison to others, the St. Francis Mountains, and that is the way Francis is spelled in regard to the range, just like the river, are more like large rolling hills, but this is Missouri, and we’re not known for our alpine geography. The scene, to me, has always been a welcoming image, a scene of beauty, of majesty, and grandeur. Maybe I am easily mollified; if that is the case, so be it, but the point in this is that the horizon is composed of a variety of ingredients that give it the impact and project the strength of what you see. It is the unity of nature, perfectly illustrating to all who are willing to observe and learn the secrets of longevity and fulfillment, a complete vision or map for us to follow. Not everything in nature is easy. There are droughts, fires, floods, earthquakes, and any number of other cataclysmic pitfalls, but through it all, nature prevails.
Now we find ourselves at our nation’s 250th birthday, a significant milestone in this great experiment of democracy, conflicted by events and individuals that tear at the very fabric of our core. To us, at this moment, there is division and consternation. We focus solely on the moment before us, disregarding the lessons of the past and with no concern for the future. There is the incessant babbling of the 24-hour news machine and the viperous bile on social media that seek to pull us one way or the other, without regard for truth and honesty. Posturing without substance has replaced fact and substance and if we choose only to dwell in this environment, we find ourselves in a toxic culture with little hope and no escape.
There is an escape, however. As stated earlier, resolve is difficult, but it is possible. First, step back. Realize that the woods are made up of a variety of trees, grasses, flowers, plants and they all form an ecosystem for their collective good. They all share common needs: water, light, air, fertile ground, and an accommodating climate. How is that different from us?
In this nation, we all have common needs such as shelter, food, medical care, and security, among others. We are not a nation of hermits. And while Elon Musk says empathy is a weakness, it has always been one of our great strengths. When someone or some group needs help, suffers tragedy, and requires assistance beyond their means, we as a people have always responded, not with a checklist of accounts payable but the open hand of help and the purpose of goodness for our fellow man. This is the great American strength, our compassion and our willingness to be that shoulder to lean on, the willing ear to listen, that readiness to share any burden with our neighbor near or far.
It was the Marshall Plan that rebuilt a devastated Europe after World War II, not because we wanted accolades showered upon us for our generosity, but because, without it, thousands of Europeans would have died from starvation, illness, and the ravages of war, and it was the right thing to do. We have always been those people who have come to the aid of those in need, regardless of race, religion, or nationality, because it was the right thing, the human thing to do; because we would hope, in the same situation, others would do the same for us, and because we can.
There are those who would belittle such efforts, saying they knew what they were doing, let them suffer, they are not us. But they are. As the plants and trees in nature inhabit the same globe, so do we as humans, separated by our only self-imposed boundaries, inhabit the same globe with the same needs as all the inhabitants of this orb.
On this anniversary when we declared all men are created equal, when we accepted the challenge to reject the mightiest power in the world, we took on seemingly insurmountable challenges. That is our character, to accept challenges and to achieve the final objective which in this case is making those goals outlined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution a reality for all who live in this country. A nation of freedom, unafraid to face and learn from the mistakes of our past. A nation of compassion and understanding, willing to listen and learn, willing to embrace the future while addressing the pains of the present, and willing to acknowledge that we are part of the brotherhood of man and must share this planet with all matter of faiths, creeds, and cultures.
America does not need to be great again, it has been all along, but that greatness will not be found in division, only in unity of purpose as outlined in the Declaration and Constitution. Our greatness is not found in symbols but in its people across this continent.
Like all travelers, we may stray from the path, but on this National Day of Celebration, step back, take a deep breath, see the big picture, and enjoy the scenic panorama that is this nation. Enjoy the view, but if you keep climbing, it gets even better!
