Man Just Go!

New York is a city of landmarks. The Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park, Grand Central Terminal, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Yankee Stadium are just a few I’ll list off the top of my head.  Growing up, New York’s landmarks were just as important and glamorous to me as any tourist. Visiting some even became annual holiday traditions I tried to observe well into adulthood. You get a similar story from most of them: A particular group of people from a far away land escaped oppression to a new place in search of opportunity. The sights and sounds of the city are the bi-products of their experiences. No landmark in New York is as recognizable or deeply symbolic as the Statue of Liberty.

If you’re from New York there’s a 100% chance you’ve encountered the following poem excerpt:

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

-Emma Lazarus (excerpt from The New Colossus)

The poem is written on a bronze plaque inside the Statue of Liberty National Monument and I’m pretty sure I first learned about it in kindergarten. No matter how you define yourself in today’s political climate, the message of humanity is both pure and humbling. A foundational cornerstone for any true New Yorker.

I recently relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and decided to take a day to explore the city before our recent government shutdown. I hopped on Philly’s “L” train and made my way downtown. First things first- Septa’s train carts were a bit cozier than what I’m used to from those of New York’s MTA but, that’s far from the point of this article. 

As I walked through the turnstiles, went through the metal detectors, and entered Liberty Bell Center I immediately realized that I will not be receiving one of the internet’s heralded park ranger stories on history due to the pending government shutdown (partially because I was too scared to ask since the shutdown was forcing the memorial to close the very next day, and partially because there were only a few individuals on staff keeping the place moving). The entire hall between the entrance and bell was filled with history lessons but, unfortunately, no comparable poems of recollection (though there is an inscription possibly worth researching on your own).

Quick disclaimer- The purpose of this post isn’t to provide a history lesson on America, but more so to describe how the connection of these monuments’ lessons can help a man navigate adulthood. Bare with me as I’ll circle back to this a little later.    

I literally read every single word written in the Liberty Bell’s exhibits. The literature described how the bell was used during slavery, the civil rights movement, the women’s rights movement, and the gay liberation movement. Legend says that after initially being used to summon politicians and inform the public of key historical events (like the signing of the Declaration of Independence), the bell was rung every evening for a period as a cry to abolish slavery throughout the land. While this may not be entirely true, it’s still an American myth worth knowing. Most recently, the bell has been rung to support war efforts and demonstrations for the previously stated movements. 

Growing up in New York embedded the principle of honoring my neighbor in my soul, no matter who they may be. I was taught to accept people for who they are as we never know what situation they’re coming from or what they’ve personally dealt with. Treat others as you’d like to be treated. This was perfectly fine growing up in one of the city’s largest melting pots. Spreading love did me well. Sure, human beings came in different shapes and sizes but I never truly saw anyone as different. It wasn’t until my 30’s that I realized we all could be a bit different- Whether you choose to treat people differently is what’s subjective. The internal acknowledgment of every individual TRULY having a mind of their own was a concept I struggled with for a couple years. I like to believe that my recent trip to visit the Liberty Bell put a lid on the volatile substance that is self conflict.

The chilly afternoon air that filled the hall along with the exhibit’s words brought chills down my spine that were clearly visible to the other visitors around me. For a moment the city fell silent- The cars, footsteps, and voices all went mute as I reached the end of the hall and waited on a makeshift line my manners created to get a picture of the bell. During this time, I forgot about the crowds and traffic I walked through and just stood there, embracing my part in history, letting a bit of time pass me by.  Let’s not forget about the famous crack on the Liberty Bell, a crack that no one can truly explain how it happened but did not prevent the bell from becoming a symbol of our freedom. It just kept on ringing, crack and all. I reached my ManJustGo epiphany when reaching the front of the line.  

In my opinion, any man can gain depth with a visit to the Liberty Bell Center. You learn a lesson on being a protector. While the Statue of Liberty taught me to be accepting, the Liberty Bell taught me to protect what’s around me. America is the land of the free and home of the brave, and it’s because of this we must do what’s necessary to protect these ideologies for one another.  No American should be left without their fundamental rights and freedoms. This trickles down to your home, your family, and even your job. I hope my dad readers out there caught chills down their spines as well after reading that. Now let’s touch on that crack again. The history of the crack on the Liberty Bell (which is a bit hazy) goes back almost as far as the history of the bell itself. Multiple repair attempts were made and the bell kept cracking, yet, the bell still managed to become one of America’s most famous landmarks. Doesn’t this sound like a huge life lesson? Just like the saying “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it”, the bell was still used in announcements for town hall, for the military, for protest, and today as a national monument. To connect this to life, I believe that a man’s sense of perseverance is a solid way to judge his overall character. Our ability to continue pursing goals, take care of our responsibilities, and push forward through setbacks, challenges, and obstacles plays a huge role when defining who we truly are. I like to analyze people at their worst, that way my expectation spectrum is realistic and the Liberty Bell visit confirmed and expanded this for me. Who are you when the going gets tough? Will a crack keep you from ringing, from persevering, from fighting the good fight? Can you push forward to withstand the tests of time? The Liberty Bell did and still stands in the heart of Philadelphia. It will continue to receive visitors long past our deaths, that is, once our government reopens of course.  

-Giovanni Alvarado