Chris Wagy

[Chris Wagy @cewagy]

@hoshizorarock Are you going to the Ise shrine? Be sure to check out the good luck charms!

[Arnold Schwarzenegger @Schwarzenegger]

Happy Independence Day!

There’s a story from the end of the Revolutionary War I want to tell as we celebrate America’s 250th Birthday, and it’s one everyone in the world can learn from.

George Washington, at that moment, after commanding the American forces to victory, was the most powerful man in the new country. Many people talked about making him King of America.

Across the ocean, King George was sitting with an American painter, and asked what he thought Washington would do now that the war was ending. The painter said he believed he would go back to his farm.

The King said, “If he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.”

As the war officially ended, Washington came to speak to Congress and said, “Having now finished the work assigned me, I retire from the great theater of Action.” He returned his commission they’d given him in 1775 - after more than 8 years of leading the Americans to victory without pay, and he was home at Mount Vernon for Christmas.

Of course, he was elected as our first President a few years later, and after two terms, showed the same selflessness again when he willingly gave up his power and went back to Mount Vernon again.

That’s true greatness. He had all the power in the world. But power, alone, does not make you great.

Washington’s greatness came from being a true servant - to a cause much bigger than himself. His greatness was his complete lack of selfishness.

The whole story of American Independence is a story of selflessness. It’s a story of people who set their self-interest aside and worked for each other.

We’ve all heard the line about “We must all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.”

Apparently, Ben Franklin might have actually never said that.

But that’s fine, because the same mentality is right there in the last line of the Declaration of Independence, published on this day 250 years ago:

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

We mutually pledge to each other.

No one was in this alone. No one was in it for themselves. This was a group of people with different backgrounds who were in it for each other.

Today is a reminder: greatness comes from what we do for each other, never what we do for ourselves.

That’s a lesson that applies no matter what country you call home.

It’s a lesson that doesn’t require any law passed by a politician, because, let’s be honest, if you’re waiting for selfless politicians, I really hope you are not holding your breath.

All of us have the power to be there for the people around us. For our families and friends. For our neighbors. For everyone.

All of us can reach for greatness.

It’s as simple as looking beyond yourself, seeing past the mirror, picking your eyes up from your phone, and pledging to be there for each other.

Happy Fourth. May you all find your own version of greatness today by lifting each other up.

Lift up your neighborhood. Lift up America. Lift up the World.

[Chris Wagy @cewagy]

@TheLaurenChen Looks like climate change.

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

California made it illegal for any election in the state to require ID. This is nuts.

[Chris Wagy @cewagy]

@hoshizorarock Ribs

[Chris Wagy @cewagy]

@ArtStudiofu1 @maru01_official Must be the German U-9

[MELANIA TRUMP @MELANIATRUMP]

To our brave heroes, thank you!

[Chris Wagy @cewagy]

@628DirtRooster @TeamYouTube I suspected something was amiss when I saw his channel hosting an Artemis stream.
Best of luck to Mr Ed in getting everything sorted out.

[Wolfways 🇺🇸🐺 @Wolfways44]

@AlTayWeiss Anarcho-tyranny is how L.A. is run now. Most of California to be honest.

[Chris Wagy @cewagy]

@CaltransD5 @CaltransHQ @AsmDawnAddis @SenJohnLaird @RepJimmyPanetta @CHP_Monterey @CHP_Coastal The most beautiful road on the planet, looking forward to driving it again. Thanks for all the hard work.

[Rebecca Caraway @RebeccaMCaraway]

A 22-year-old UC Santa Barbara student went missing in Big Bear this past weekend and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office is asking the public for information.
https://t.co/bE3MTyfo5p

[John Palminteri @JohnPalminteri]

A fatal stabbing is under investigation by the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department. The victim was a 17-year old found on San Simeon and Turnpike Wednesday night about 8:48 p.m. He died at Cottage Hospital.
A witness said 4-5 suspects ran to the north.
(KEYT photos)

[John Palminteri @JohnPalminteri]

Hundreds of flyers are being posted to locate a person an attorney and family members say was with UCSB freshman Liz Hamel off campus on Feb. 14. She was found unconscious on campus by the San Rafael dorms that night and died six days later. This person is sought for information.

[Noozhawk @Noozhawk]

From @CalMatters: License to Kill: How CA’s DMV Allows Deadly Drivers on the Road
https://t.co/KGhTAMAKR2

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

Trust those who return the shopping cart

[Chris Wagy @cewagy]

@JohnPalminteri We heard the sirens, wondering if it's related to the hit and run up on the mesa.

[Chris Wagy @cewagy]

@RealJamesWoods Thanks for sharing this history.

[Chris Wagy @cewagy]

@Culture_Crit Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's...

[Chris Wagy @cewagy]

@Luffy_king145 https://t.co/pBRRgEpzP0

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

At ~5000 tons, Starship is the largest flying object ever made