The Sound of War

Summary

The author reflects on the Fourth of July, recalling past experiences with fireworks, and expressing a dislike for the noise that mimics war, which affects animals and his personal enjoyment of the holiday.

Abstract

The author shares a personal evolution regarding the celebration of the Fourth of July, transitioning from a youthful fascination with fireworks to a more matured aversion, influenced by the fear it instills in animals, particularly his wolf-dog. He draws a parallel between the sound of fireworks and the sounds of war, finding the celebration of independence with war-like sounds incongruous, especially given America's history of engaging in numerous wars. The author plans to avoid the noise by either working or using noise-cancelling headphones, preferring the natural sounds of birds while writing. He suggests that the best part of the holiday is the outdoor picnics and barbeques, advocating for more outdoor dining beyond holidays.

Opinions

Fireworks, while once enjoyable to the author, now evoke the sounds of war and are no longer pleasant.
The author's wolf-dog, typically fearless, was terrified of fireworks, highlighting the impact of the noise on animals.
The author criticizes the incongruity of celebrating independence with sounds that resemble warfare.
Nationalism is seen as a driver of war, and the author expresses discomfort with celebrating a nation with a history of extensive warfare.
The author enjoys the outdoor dining aspect of the Fourth of July, suggesting it's a positive tradition that should be more frequent.
The author plans to cope with the fireworks noise by either working or using noise-cancelling headphones to preserve peace and focus on writing.
There is a concern for the well-being of animals during the fireworks, with the author urging others to consider their distress.

On celebrating the Fourth of July

Back when I was in my early twenties, a hundred years ago, I once dropped some acid on the Fourth of July. Lying on the grass at the park I looked up into the night sky and watched the annual fireworks celebration. It was freaking awesome!

I think that may have been the last time I ever enjoyed fireworks.

Much later in my life I was married to a wolf-dog for sixteen and a half years. I talk about her a lot because she was the best friend I have ever had. One of the things that amazed me the most about her was how utterly fearless she was. She never backed down from anything. She was not afraid of any human or any animal, no matter their size. She once tried to play with an elephant. Luckily, I pulled her away before the elephant squashed her. My beloved wolf-dog simply had no fear of anything — or so I thought.

I quickly learned, though, that she did indeed have one fear and that was a fear of fireworks. She spent the evenings of the Fourth of July cowering behind the recliner, refusing to come out. The cat, who was afraid of everything, spent the Fourth of July in one of her many hiding places. I have never known an animal who loved the sound of fireworks.

If you close your eyes and only listen to the sound of fireworks you quickly realize that you are listening to the sound of war. It sounds just like being in the middle of some epic battle. With eyes closed, you may as well be in Aleppo or in some historic battle in one of the countless wars that humankind has fought. From an auditory perspective, fireworks are a celebration of war.

It is not pleasant.

In the town where I currently live I start hearing fireworks several days before the Fourth of July. It crescendos with each day until the Fourth when it peaks then it continues, slowly diminishing, for several days after the Fourth. It is like spending a week out of every year in the middle of a war zone.

Imagine being a little bird that lives in the neighborhood. When the fireworks start you would probably think that the world was coming to a terrifying apocalyptic end. Sorry, but I can’t help think about the birds. Does anyone else think of the birds?

In the four years and two weeks that I have been working at my current job I have always volunteered to work on the Fourth of July (and all other holidays). It is my way of letting my co-workers be off on a holiday. I celebrate very few holidays so why not? As for the Fourth of July it may also be my way of cowering behind the recliner, so to speak. In that building where I work you can hardly hear the awful war-like sound of fireworks going on continuously outside.

This year I am not scheduled to work on the Fourth. I told the co-worker who is scheduled for that day that I would be happy to work for her so that she could be free to celebrate the Fourth with her kids. She declined my offer. She said that she did not mind working.

For the first time in slightly over four years I will not be working on the evening of July 4th. I will be off.

And I don’t know what the hell to do.

I am sorry if I sound like a real sourpuss. I abhor nationalism as well as the sound of and thought of war. (Without nationalism there would be so much less war.) Celebrating independence with the sounds of war just seems so incongruous to me. Celebrating a nation that has waged more war than any other nation on the planet does not sit well with me. War and the sound of war has become even more American than apple pie. To me, that is not something to celebrate.

But I have to admit that there is something that I do like about the Fourth of July and that is picnics. As everyone knows, food always tastes better out-of-doors. Hordes of people going outside to picnic and barbeque is a wonderful thing. Hot dogs, potato salad and watermelon are all wonderful things. We should all eat out-of-doors more often and not just on holidays.

So I think I will have a little solitary picnic on the Fourth. Of course, that is a daytime activity (usually). When the sound of warfare begins in the evening I am not sure what I will do. I suppose I could do what I always do on my evenings off. I could write. To find some peace, though, I will probably have to wear noise-cancelling headphones or headphones with music blasting through them. I almost never do that when writing. I prefer listening to the euphoric music of birds while I write.

But there won’t be any birds around that evening. They will all be mysteriously gone. They will all be war refugees.

Happy Fourth of July everyone! Don’t forget to think about the animals.