"In January 2004 Haiti observed the two-hundred-year anniversary of its independence from France in the midst of a national revolt."
Edwidge Danticat, Inroduction to The Kingdom of This World
Happy anniversary.
Well, sort of. The very first line of the very first page of this book wreaked of sadness. I don't think it was supposed to be a sad sentence, but the idea it conveys is sad by principle. After a hard-fought beginning and surely a couple hundred hard years to follow, the happy anniversary present the people give to their country is war. I obviously don't know the reasons of this war, but as a human being, I can observe the tragedy with sadness.
At a moment so happy as the two-hundred-year mark of independence, Haiti finds itself caught up in yet another revolution. Justified or not, it is depressing to see the unrest that still prevails in so many countries such as this one. While we don't see armed revolts or open rebellion to the government in this country, we certainly flirt with the line between peace and war. And that war is with ourselves.
As we approach yet another presidential election, we see a country torn by extreme ideas. It seems that you don't matter as a person, but as a number or a vote. You cannot just believe in happiness anymore, but only try to find the lesser of two evils. That is obviously a little bit of an exaggeration, but it seems that that is the way we are headed.
I think it's about time for people to be happy for their country. I think it's a perfect time for people to be proud to be Americans and of the heritage of this wonderful land! It's time to sit back a little, and consider everything that has been done in order for Americans to live like we do. We have a lot of be grateful for, and, like the revolts in Haiti, we seem to drown out the specials moments of our history with contention and selfishness. And this is just as tragic as the story above.
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