We pledge allegiance to the Children of the Revolution

Also, please enjoy our Independence Day playlist.

By Greg Layton

Author’s Note: I first wrote the essay below several days ago, intending to write separate pieces for Independence Day and the passage of Donald Trump’s Big Bad Abomination, but I have not found the words for them yet. Nonetheless, what follows is more than an exploration of individual freedom; it is a rough sketch of our ongoing struggle against authoritarian impulses and their consequences. May it provide a glimmer of hope and reinforce our resolve to advance boldly and steadily forward.

I have not been a father in the biological sense, but we have all been – and continue to be – the children of ancestral genes and experiences, whether or not we have known or respected the two specific souls that met at our conception.

And in the process of becoming ourselves and living within the diversity of human experience, we have discovered that not all of our ancestors' wisdom was wise, or at least not wise for us, although much of it was, at least for a season.

(And the qualifying phrases have only multiplied over time)

In other words, we are always in the process of birth and renewal, which contain their own series of deaths, and perhaps we should keep that truth in mind as we greet the arrival of younger generations.

Attempting to replicate ourselves, like factories that churn out parts for an obsolete machine, is an impossible task. Our descendants neither want nor need our mass-produced widgets, and those who feel obliged to make them fit become confused and fatigued by the effort.

Instead, they require the spiritual resources — our democratic values, but not our unchallenged constraints — to explore and create the world and themselves in ways that exceed our timid or jaded imaginations – and the freedom, courage, and resolve to do so and then to entrust The Work to others.

I have found this larger concept of family especially heartening in what is becoming an inhospitable world for anyone not at the isolated top, realizing – as I believe I am – that few of us will live to see this moment pass.

We cannot expect to rebuild what has been smashed. We should not even want to because America is flawed in ways that have been increasingly obvious to anyone paying attention. Now, we, along with our great American family, must do progressively better.

That means loving and encouraging our successors, hearing and amplifying their voices, and lending our remaining energies to their evolving visions.

We Must Nurture The Next.

Children of the Revolution: A playlist for Independence Day (and every day that follows)

Reflecting on the words I wrote above, I recalled the fierce and nurturing spirit of American protest songs and wanted to highlight some of my favorites.

That impulse led me to a deep dive, involving listening to hundreds of songs over several days. I have started to compile what I consider to be powerful examples here (on Spotify). Please give it a listen and feel free to send suggestions to gregorylayton@pm.me. Share widely.