Happy Birth, Death, Rebirth Day America!
Cycles appear everywhere in nature. Humans like to think we’re not affected by them, but we are. Our creations usually are too. Most things have a beginning, middle and end, or at least an ebb and flow, a rise and fall, a birth and death. But what about revival or regeneration, version 2.0, kintsugi personified: rebirth?
I may be getting ahead of myself by wishing America a happy “rebirth” day. I don’t know precisely where we are in our cycle, although we’re clearly at an inflection point. Although much about our democracy feels like it’s been moved from life support to hospice, I can’t quite bear to think of this 250th anniversary as a death knell. I am optimistic about rebirth, in the natural and spiritual senses. Not just for this country but generally.
I’ve witnessed the resurgence of seemingly dying things; new life infused into hopeless feeling situations. Persistent, complicated, tender organisms have experienced rebirth, both literal and symbolic. I’ve felt like one of those organisms at times.
I’m optimistic, but we have inner and outer work to do.
I hope we can acknowledge that this period is a kind of symbolic death for our country, a violation of our norms, traditions, and laws which resets assumptions about who we are as a nation. I hope we can honor this country’s founding while honoring the indigenous people who suffered at the hands of the founders. I hope we can recognize the achievements of the colonial settlers while simultaneously recognizing that those achievements were built in no small part on the backs of enslaved people. These things coexist. Just as within me, and likely within you, there are contradictions, things which inspire pride and shame. Our personal histories are complex too.
We can be a strong nation while containing rich paradoxes and valuing diversity. We can be compassionate without losing our sense of self-preservation. Adapting to increased complexity, expanding to include new relationships, and learning from past experiences and current innovations are signs of an evolving system. That applies to people as well as countries.
I’m betting on the USA. We’re scrappy.
It’s easy to find politics distasteful and politicians suspect. The practicalities of governance affect us in more ways than many of us like to acknowledge; it can be overwhelming to think about. How we choose to govern ourselves as practical beings overlays how we choose to govern ourselves as spiritual beings. (Church and state should be separate of course, I’m making an analogy.) We are who we are in all the spheres of internal and external action; in our minds and hearts and with our words and actions.
If we’re not interested in politics by extension that means that we’re not concerned with: having clean water; the right to speak freely; keeping newborns healthy; avoiding discrimination; conserving public lands; scammers getting away with fraud; protecting children from predators; and preserving our constitutional rights. This list could go on and on. Our government governs those things of course.
It’s not politics, per se, it’s life. It’s who we are as a nation and as individuals. Choices big and small, add up and ripple out. With some people and places, you can feel the accumulation of those choices radiating off them. It becomes palpable, for better or worse.
I don’t feel hopeless for our country. Like good scientists, we have the chance to learn and adjust based on what we’ve observed so far (individually and collectively). We have extraordinary foundations on which to build. We are not special; we have been gifted.
As everyone involved learned 250 years ago, birth is a messy business.
Rebirth is perhaps even messier. I hope we’re up for it.
Wishing you, our country, and all beings, safety, peace, and health, on this anniversary and always.
Happy Birth, Death, Rebirth Day America!
©2026 Mara Bishop