As blessed as we are as a nation, as grateful as I am to be a part of this nation, one couldn’t help but notice there were a few sour notes emanating from so-called “leaders” yesterday. On a day perfectly designed to celebrate freedom and unity, the malcontents were intent on spiting the land that feeds them. (See, e.g., here, here, and here.)

The thought has often occurred to me in recent years that much of the rhetoric from the far left/hate-America set is reminiscent of the rebellious, petulant adolescent, whose self-absorption and myopia are perfectly suited to duck-faced selfies and viral Tik-Toks. To meaningful participation in our governance and growth as a country? Not so much.

Thus, it was refreshing to hear the message Matthew McConaughey shared in honor of the country’s 245th birthday.

happy 245th birthday America – lets rock pic.twitter.com/MiLKZ0HN8y

— Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) July 4, 2021

With his trademark, sly Texas charm, McConaughey held forth:

Happy Birthday, America! Yes, indeed, as we celebrate our independence today, as we celebrate our birth as a nation — a day that kickstarted a revolution to gain our sovereignty — let’s admit that this last year, this trip around the sun, was also another head scratcher.

But let’s also remember that…we are babies, you know, as a country, we are basically going through puberty in comparison to other countries’ timelines. And we’re going to go through growing pains — we are going through growing pains. This is not an excuse, to say, this is just a reality. And this is good, because we gotta keep learning, we gotta keep maturing, we gotta keep striving, we gotta keep climbing, we gotta keep building. And we gotta make sure we maintain hope along the way, as we continue to evolve. Why? Because it’s who we are. Why? Because the alternative SUCKS.

I believe that America — and you and I — I believe we’re an aspiration, alright? We’re constantly in motion; we’re on the way, trying to get wiser, trying to get braver, trying to dream more, trying to do more, trying to be more fair, take the right kind of responsibilities to gain the right kind of freedoms.

And we gotta keep realizing that we’re a place where our individual pursuits and desires need to be appreciative — and supportive — of our collective responsibilities, as Americans — hence, the UNITED States of America. Sure, we’re each unique, we’re each independent, we each have innate abilities that others don’t have — as people and as states — but at the same time, we are all in this together.  And if you don’t purchase that?  Move on. Go somewhere else.

So, as we celebrate the red, white, and blue this weekend, let’s be sure and just reflect just a minute; take a little bit of inventory on where we’ve come from, where we are, and how — and where — we want to go from here — on the way to being the best we can be.

Now, what if that was a song that each of us just said, “I can’t not sing…that song. I want to be a little bit better, you want to be a little bit better, let’s be on the way to being the best we can be.” Let’s make that a song we can’t not sing. Why? Because it’s who we are. It’s who we’ve gotta be. And again, the alternative sucks.

Let’s rock, America. Happy Birthday! Just keep livin’ — I’ll see you later.

Now that’s music to the ears.