Cheering for Independence

The pops and booms you hear today celebrate the ratification of the Declaration of Independence from the British Empire 230 years ago. Those fiery words set out what the 13 colonies demanded: a new government willing to safeguard life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

But independence is not what sets this nation apart. Most nations are independent, yet many squander their potential by hating outsiders and isolating themselves.

It's worth remembering that independence merits fireworks not because of how eloquently Thomas Jefferson described it or how ably George Washington defended it. It is worth celebrating because of another successful experiment of the Founders: interdependence.

Had each colony tried to stand on its own, all would have fallen. Interdependence provided a federal foundation for balanced powers and equal states that carried over to commerce, foreign affairs and the proper role of religion. Fair trade and competition were encouraged, both among the states and with other countries whose economies were in the grips of greedy kings.

The practice of interdependence rewarded integrity and thus encouraged it. When the new nation paid its debts, its money became trustworthy around the world. Immigrants and investment poured in, drawn by the rewards of the free market and rule of law.

It wasn't the nation's much-celebrated independence that made this happen. It was the increasing interdependence of farmers, merchants and pioneers - despite deep religious and ethnic differences - that turned a primitive frontier into the richest nation in the world. Plenty of big mistakes were made along the way. Most of them, like slavery, violated the spirit of voluntary interdependence.

Many thinkers through the years have understood this, none more clearly than American philosopher Will Durant. Along with two others, Durant wrote a declaration of interdependence first published in 1944. His target may have been the racial inequity of that era, but the essential theme is timeless: Mutual tolerance is the price of liberty.

That doesn't mean tolerance for criminals. It doesn't require we shake hands with the enemies of freedom. Nor does it make a case for a utopian one-world government or for socialism.

Interdependence doesn't advise opening our borders and social programs to all impoverished comers from all corners of the world. Nor does it diminish individual responsibility. It simply says humans are at their civic and economic best when they find ways to get along and give one another a fair deal.

That lesson applies at every level, from international confrontations to city-rural tensions in Tampa. Tampa's suburbs are dependent on the urban center and vice versa. We're stronger, wealthier and happier when we find ways to work together.

Evidence of that is everywhere. It's no coincidence that the free nations are also the rich nations. It's no mystery why communities best able to compromise civilly on solutions to local problems are also the best places to live.

Our longstanding belief in interdependence is why we Americans are willing to invest blood and cash in Iraq. We know the Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds can have a free and prosperous nation if they will only put their faith in interdependence instead of dominance. As the brave troops of the U.S. military are discovering, it can be a hard concept to grasp. Perhaps Iraqis never will.

Unlike the Revolutionary War against the Redcoats, the war for interdependence is never over. Forces of intolerance, isolation and repression reappear constantly, like weeds, and must be uprooted.

They're all around us today, too close to be touched by the arching skyrockets proclaiming freedom.

Today is a great day to wave the flag and cheer this nation's achievement and beloved independence. It is also a perfect time to think about why freedom is so successful here and what we must do to keep it that way.