Dear Friends:
Democracy is in a precarious state throughout the world these days. Imperious leaders, paralyzed legislatures, and politically influenced judiciaries call into question whether democracy as we have known it still exists anywhere. No democratic nation has lived up to the ideals articulated in its declaration of independence. But that’s to be expected. At the time of a Nation’s birth, its founders promise everything. The reality of governance, however, often necessitates setting dreams aside for what can be achieved. This is certainly the case with regards to our United States at this time of our semiquincentennial.
Fortunately, we can still experience the lofty aspirations in our Nation’s Declaration of Independence among our country’s citizens and residents, if not in ‘process,’ at least in ‘fact’ on the New Jersey Turnpike. We’ve all experienced how daunting the traffic can be on the roadway. I once clocked three-and-a-half hours on my way back to Roslyn from Center City, Philadelphia. But every rest stop along the way is a testament to the equality of people to which Jefferson’s Declaration aspired. It begins in the parking lot, where you find license plates of states across our nation. Though buses and trucks are parked in their own lots, I might find a space for my Subaru sedan in between an old Chevy and a new Lincoln. Once inside the rest stop, all drivers and passengers become one. People in need of food and caffeine queue in lines together regardless of race, religion, gender, religion, or social or economic position. Now, while some travelers may have packed their own meals and others are able to bypass a caffeine fix, given the aforementioned daunting traffic, most of NJT drivers and passengers need to use the loo in the course of their journey, where what you do for a living, or your annual salary, or your marital status matters not at all. The same can be said for drivers in the gas line.
I guess that physical and mechanical necessities render social, cultural, structural, and economic divisions insignificant. All God’s children – citizens, residents and visitors – need some form of nourishment in order to traverse any part of the total 148.18 mile span of the New Jersey Turnpike. And when you ‘gotta go,’ you don’t stop to assess the status of the person in the stall next to yours. So to experience and honor the spirit of our Nation’s founding 250 years ago, take a ride a couple of miles south of the George Washington Bridge to the Vince Lombardi rest stop and bask in the embodiment of our Nation’s motto, E pluribus unum. But I would wait until after the final World Cup Match scheduled for July 19. Until then, the traffic on the turnpike is going to be murder.
With warm wishes for an easy summer with many happy adventures,
Lee
