Of course, that's counting from the signing of the declaration of independence, fighting had been occurring for over a year and we wouldn't have our constitution for another decade. Even then we wouldn't have the supreme court in its modern understanding until 1803, nor the central role of the federal government until after the civil war. There's countless moments in our nation's history of major paradigm changes where you could say it was reborn.

As I've grown older, I've come to appreciate the garish Americana that rolls out this time of year; with one trip to an all-American big box store you can be adorned with stars and stripes prints on every article of clothing and accessory. At a certain point I realized it's all part of the joke. We are obnoxious Americans and we are proud of it, slap our flag on everything; nothing else rivals its beauty.

This time honored tradition is one thing that unites us. For the past few years the 4th has been bittersweet. Sure you'd still have a party, you'd still watch the fireworks, but you'd try your best to not think about the state of our country more than you had to.

However, this year felt a little different. Maybe it's just because we are doing a bit more flag-waving with my girlfriend in the Coast Guard, maybe it's just because it's the 250th, but people seemed a more patriotic this year. Definitely not because of our commander in chief or his cabinet, even the true believers are waking up. I think everybody is getting their head back on, COVID and its consequences made us all go a little crazy, some more than others. Everybody knows we're in it deep, and if we don't start acting rationally, the country won't reach it's 275th anniversary.

While I don't love all his policies, the rise of Mamdani nevertheless has given me hope. He's a leader who is willing to take action, to get things done, he's been able to reach people by communicating to them. Not talking down from an ivory tower, but speaking to them directly, with dignity and respect.

But above all else, what has given me hope for our nation, has been my girlfriend and her family. Being involved with a first generation family, I've gotten to see the actualization of the American dream. A dream which I once thought was dead. A family traveling thousands of miles with only the clothes on their backs, entering into a foreign land with a different language, doing their best to persevere, and succeeding; it's a beautiful thing to witness. I believe if you took even the most xenophobic of people, had them live as a fly on the wall, have them see the character, the good hearted nature, the open armed generosity, and civic pride that this family has, and thousands more families like them have, then they too would admit that they embody what it means to be an American -- more than many of us who were born to this soil so too could claim.