I believe that seven letter word is very relative and changeable from person to person. As Walt Whitman would define it, "Freedom- to walk free and own no superior." That is a broad description but a very accurate one nonetheless... perhaps as a teenager I would have described my liberty through more lenient rules... a later curfew and the choice of when to do my chores. The diference between the two ideas of freedom are based on the individuals experience and understanding of the world and therefore freedom is whatever you believe it is.
What are the costs of freedom?
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." -Ronald Reagan
The above statement makes me ponder on how I've fought for freedom in my lifetime. Serving in the military is definitely one form in which I have protected freedom but I think it is the more subtle ways in which we need to serve liberty. In order to accomplish actual liberty we as a nation need to truly understand what it is... therein lies a problem. Is the general idea of freedom today that which we see everywhere; security procedures, 'big brother' scanning our conversations, rules as to what we can and cannot say and read in school, burning the flag as a 'symbolic' act, allowing illegal (extra emphasis on the illegal) immigration to overrun our country... Regardless of personal opinion I feel it's fair enough to say our 'freedom' in America is being trimmed by the government more and more every year. So what is the cost of freedom? Maybe all of the rules and protocol, standards of society are the costs. Or maybe... just maybe, the cost is going to be stepping out into the unknown. Perhaps this world needs to be reshaped and it is time for some radical changes to our complacent society. Did the patriots of the late 1700's foresee today's America? More importantly, is the majority of America satisfied with the freedoms we have today?
These are just some things I've pondered over the last few years and I don't pretend to understand all of the different aspects of freedom in today's world. I do feel like my freedom is threatened by people I've never met before and taxes I never agreed to. Personally, I want to decide, or at least have a more crucial part in deciding, what taxes to pay and what laws should apply to my life. All in all I believe in smaller government control and less federal intervention. And with that I must say that America is nonetheless a great country and my love for her is unending.
“Freedom and love go together. Love is not a reaction. If I love you because you love me, that is mere trade, a thing to be bought in the market; it is not love. To love is not to ask anything in return, not even to feel that you are giving something- and it is only such love that can know freedom.” -Jiddu Krishnamurti (Indian philosopher) | |
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