I pose this as a question because I want you to think about it. Freedom for every individual has a different meaning. Some may name small everyday freedoms while others will name sacrifice, flag, and country.
Neither is more important or bad they are just viewed differently when you ask the question. I’ve experienced friends who gave their all for our country and never returned home, but never a family member, so my view is different from a wife, father, mother, brother or sister who lost someone. Again, you don’t have to lose someone to appreciate and experience freedom. I’m just pointing out how different our perceptions and thoughts are towards the question of, “What Does Freedom Mean to you?”
No matter what your version of Freedom is or the depth of pain you have suffered we are all Patriot’s. We pray we work the homeland while troops are away and every one of us plays an important part in making our country great.
You don’t have a country if you don’t have steelworkers, farmers, ranchers, electricians, doctors, office workers, stay at home mom and dad’s etc. A country is made not from a belief but from the people themselves and what they believe in.
A strong governing system is only as strong as its core, and we the people are that core. Each person can allow or fight back against things that are right and wrong bringing us back to the question of “What does Freedom mean to You?”
Freedom is more than a song on the 4th of July. It is something that’s instilled in us and what we can do from the time we are born. From the Freedom of Speech to our Freedom and right to bear arms. The constitution lays out a series of laws that our land has been bound by for generations.
Beyond the constitution, there are other freedoms we enjoy. Like the freedom to buy and sell products, can our produce after growing a garden, and do business where we want. Traveling within our states without borders or choosing which and what foods we want to buy and eat are also a couple more.
Webster’s dictionary describes freedom as:
1: the quality or state of being free: such as
a: the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action
b: liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another: independence
c: the quality or state of being exempt or released usually from something onerous
- freedom from care
d: unrestricted use
- gave him the freedom of their home
e: ease, facility
- spoke the language with freedom
f: the quality of being frank, open, or outspoken
- answered with freedom
Because it’s July we travel, go camping, have long weekends and BBQ. The whole month is a good reminder of what freedoms we enjoy and why we celebrate our country.
God plays a huge role in a countries freedom and how a country fights, lives and progresses. As Ronald Reagan put it, “Freedom Prospers when Religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.”
Our Constitution was written by our founding fathers with the precept that our rights and freedoms are inalienable. Inalienable rights are natural rights granted by God, not by the government. For governments cannot grant rights it can only take them away. Our Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to our Constitution states that those basic rights and freedoms are protected from government infringement not granted by the government.
I believe as Reagan did that a country prospers when the law under God is acknowledged. Like it says on our currency, “In God We Trust.”
Freedom has many faces, but they’re a part of the same body and mind. You can view freedom differently but, in the end, acknowledge Freedom as a whole.
Many people in the United States take their freedoms for granted. While in other countries people wish they had ours. For this reason, not just on the 4th of July, I want you to think about the question of, What Does Freedom Mean to You?
Listing our freedoms helps us realize how many we enjoy on a day to day basis. Like listing affirmations every morning to keep a positive attitude, try listing 5 freedoms you enjoy, every morning, for the month of July.
This year I asked my kids the same question I’m asking you and had them write their answers on our chalkboard. It was amazing and encouraging to see their answers.
They are young but are part of the next generation who will protect us, abide by the laws and ensure our country stays free. They are the future of the United States and what it will represent, so as a parent I want to make sure they understand what that means.
It’s never too early or too late to teach your family the price and need for freedom. They understand more than you think and will, if encouraged, take the responsibility of keeping our freedoms serious and protected.
We have the greatest country in the world, let’s keep it great by remembering what was sacrificed and teach that to others.
“Governments don’t form ideals, it’s ideals that form governments.”
Happy July Everyone! May God Bless you as you remember the month we celebrate Our Country.
-Heather Earles
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