thing! We take time off, we visit parks and beaches, have family reunions,
and then after sunset, delight in the beauty of fireworks. These are good
things and I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July!
Too often we forget just how basic and profound these freedoms are. Today,
as you read this, people around the world must still censor what they say
and think and do. In some places, opinions still get you killed, or cost
you your job. In some places, only certain religions are permitted, and in
some places, books and movies and even fashions are monitored and controlled.
For most of us, such things are totally foreign, in every sense of that
word. We can barely imagine not being able to vote, and the thought of not
watching late-night comedians lampoon our political and religious leaders
strikes us as bizarre. It's part of our culture. These freedoms are "just
they way it is." Aren't they?
Unfortunately, the answer is NO! Our freedoms are not "just the way it is."
They come from a particular philosophy, a certain way of seeing ourselves
and our neighbors. These freedoms come from a particular belief that "all
... are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable
rights." These freedoms come from a belief, and they come at a cost.
Throughout history, societies have always had to balance between the false
freedom of the mob, and the false security of tyranny.
Adolf Hitler's reign of terror largely rose out of the desire for order. He
saved the economy, controlled inflation and as the saying went, he made the
trains run on time. There is ever and always a desire for order, for safety
and stability.
But we also desire to be free. We want to voice our opinions, question
authority, and pursue our potential. There is a deep desire to be free,
knowing that it comes with the freedom to fail and creates a certain level
of inefficient chaos.
My challenge this week, is to USE your freedoms. I challenge you to make a
list and exercise your freedoms in all their glory, perhaps even in a
couple of "outrageous" experiments. I challenge you to do some or all of
the following:
1. Write a letter to an elected official on a topic you care about. Support
or oppose a bill or a position. In writing this essay, my integrity
required that I take my own advice, so I wrote to my Congressman, Peter
DeFazio, to oppose a bill he's currently supporting. USE your freedom!
2. Write a letter to your local newspaper. State your opinion. Let others
disagree, but let your voice be heard. USE your freedom!
3. Express your religious beliefs in whatever way, in whatever place, suits
you. The right to believe, or not believe, is a marvelous thing. USE your
freedom!
4. Start a business, or support someone who is. Our freedoms include
economic opportunity. Don't squander it. Encourage enterprise, creativity,
and business. Take a risk. As Mary Kay Ash observed, "Nothing happens until
someone sells something." USE your freedom!
5. Visit and support your public library. You can read any book ever
written. You have access to the world's best (and craziest) ideas. You have
access to the sublime, the ridiculous, the practical and the inspiring. USE
your freedom!
6. Write a letter of thanks to someone who is devoting their life to
defending our freedoms. Support a soldier whose life may be at risk. USE
your freedom!
Written by Philip E. Humbert, PhD
