I have been thinking that today would be a good day for an essay on the United States. The occasion of our national holiday is an appropriate time to reflect on the state of the union as it were. Of course, my audience is very small. I don’t expect that anything I write would have the impact of a presidential speech or an address by a famous person.

Frederick Douglass, for example, delivered at least three speeches on the occasion of Independence Day that have become part of the historic record of this nation. Perhaps the most famous was delivered in 1852 when he wondered what the enslaved might say if they were called from the plantations to reflect on the themes of liberty, justice, and equality. It is a powerful speech. I think the reorientation of perspective offered is meaningful for our world today.

I might follow Douglass’ example urging readers to think of this holiday and the ideals of our nation from the perspective of those who are powerless and whose voices aren’t heard in the clamor of political writing and rhetoric on this holiday. Consider those who are attempting to recover from the trauma of being part of a crowd where a shooter claimed multiple victims. Or grieving family members who lost a loved one to gun violence in the past year. What would those people have to say about the status of justice in our nation?

Consider what an African-American woman might have to say about the inalienable right to life. Black woman disproportionally experience death and trauma during childbirth. What hard truths would they raise about their fears for themselves and their unborn children?

What might a young Lakota man sitting in a county jail in South Dakota because he has no money for bail have to say about liberty?

I think that such a shift in perspective is valuable. But it is important, I suppose to also consider how our own perspectives shift with the passage of time. Douglass’ 1852 speech has an entirely different tone than the one he delivered a decade later. His earlier speech, written in the aftermath of the fugitive slave act did not see the signs of unity and hope that he saw in the battle against the Confederacy. By 1875, when he once again took to the podium on Independence Day, he outlined a narrative of progress: “Colored people have had something to do with almost everything of vital importance in the life and progress of this great country.”

It may just be that this Independence Day falls right after I have celebrated my 70th birthday and my 50th wedding anniversary. Like others my age, I am aware that I am engaged in the process of evaluating and integrating my life’s experiences. Developmental psychologists call this process ego integration and declare that it is the job of everyone upon reaching a certain age. In looking back and taking stock I am evaluating my place in the world and my contributions.

While I have some sense of accomplishment and even progress over the span of my life, I don’t have a similar optimism about the course of our nation’s history. How do I write about the progress of America’s ideals when the front runner for one party’s nomination for the highest office of the land has publicly declared that he places his own interests above national security? How do I proclaim the triumph of justice when public trust in the nation’s highest court is at an all time low. It isn’t just that justices Samuel Eliot, Neil Gorsuch, and Clarence Thomas have accepted gifts such as undisclosed trips on private jets and yachts, free luxury vacations, secret real estate deals, and donations to pet projects. It is that the court has totally failed to exercise oversight over itself and the behavior of its members. I suspect that history will remember John Thomas as the chief justice who turned a blind eye to ethical lapse and official misconduct. There is a big difference between judicial independence and judicial license. Judges of the highest court in the land should show restraint, but none is evident in those who feel their position authorizes them to do and say whatever they please without considering the appearance of impropriety. Their personal behavior only increases the doubt cast by their partisan opinions rendered without regard for judicial precedence and the careful consideration of the jurists who preceded them.

The process of selecting a President and the state of the Supreme Court aren’t the only causes of caution when it comes to proclaiming optimism about the state of our nation. The legislative process is clearly broken as well. The makeup of the court is the result of obvious manipulation of the process of advice, consent, and confirmation of appointments. Gerrymandering has resulted in the makeup of both the House of Representatives and the Senate disproportionately favoring a minority of voters. Intense partisanship placing party over country has resulted in a legislative standstill that has rendered legislatures at the state and national level ineffective and non productive.

It isn’t just government that is broken. It is hard to find a news story about the institutional church that doesn’t highlight sexual abuse, coverup, and scandal. School boards have become more interested in fighting so called culture wars than the education of children. Book bans, once used to be associated with authoritarian regimes, now have left junior high and middle school libraries with empty shelves. A complaint by a single individual can effectively remove a book from a library. Even the bible has been officially banned by school boards.

Despite all of this, however, I remain optimistic about this nation. My optimism isn’t rooted in the strength of public institutions, however. It is born of witnessing volunteers pitch in to assist neighbors with flood recovery. It is forged in the hard work of feeding hungry people and working to overcome food deserts. It is buoyed by the generosity of volunteers constructing simple decent housing in partnership with those in need.

Perhaps the greatness of this nation is best demonstrated not in moments of victory, but rather in the nitty gritty hard work of overcoming obstacles. Our true character will be judged by how we face adversity and in the strength of the people when the institutions teeter.

Happy birthday, America! May the trials and struggles of the year past and the year to come reveal our true character.