On this
fine Saturday, 233 years after fifty-six brave men affixed their signature to the Declaration of Independence, we remain free. What does that cost? The more pressing question might be what is that freedom worth? Over the decades and centuries the investment has been countless souls – men and women who have determined that our freedom as a people were worth more than an individual life – they adopted the posture that the good of the many outweighs the needs of the few or the one. How true! How vital! Vital for us to remember this Independence Day as we have men and women stationed all over the world, still engaged in the preservation of our, my sovereignty – my license to decide how I live, where I move, who I choose to do it with – make personal choices regarding every single aspect of my existence. No man forces me to do anything I do not elect to do! While the majority of our world despises our country and place we have taken on the international stage, the one thing they all seem to envy, beyond even their grasp, is our autonomy – our certificate to be self-directed. As asked earlier, what does that cost? In his letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush dated September 23, 1800, Thomas Jefferson eloquently and briefly stated that the “price of freedom is eternal vigilance” – (eternal) never-ending awareness (vigilance). Just how aware is the average American? I fear, as a nation, we are growing weary in taking responsibility for retaining our freedom and, if not re-invigorated, may be lulled into giving up some if not all of the most precious of prized possessions, our liberty as described by our founding fathers – and that, in my opinion, would be a disastrous price to pay!
fine Saturday, 233 years after fifty-six brave men affixed their signature to the Declaration of Independence, we remain free. What does that cost? The more pressing question might be what is that freedom worth? Over the decades and centuries the investment has been countless souls – men and women who have determined that our freedom as a people were worth more than an individual life – they adopted the posture that the good of the many outweighs the needs of the few or the one. How true! How vital! Vital for us to remember this Independence Day as we have men and women stationed all over the world, still engaged in the preservation of our, my sovereignty – my license to decide how I live, where I move, who I choose to do it with – make personal choices regarding every single aspect of my existence. No man forces me to do anything I do not elect to do! While the majority of our world despises our country and place we have taken on the international stage, the one thing they all seem to envy, beyond even their grasp, is our autonomy – our certificate to be self-directed. As asked earlier, what does that cost? In his letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush dated September 23, 1800, Thomas Jefferson eloquently and briefly stated that the “price of freedom is eternal vigilance” – (eternal) never-ending awareness (vigilance). Just how aware is the average American? I fear, as a nation, we are growing weary in taking responsibility for retaining our freedom and, if not re-invigorated, may be lulled into giving up some if not all of the most precious of prized possessions, our liberty as described by our founding fathers – and that, in my opinion, would be a disastrous price to pay!
This blog is posted on:
http://www.rlarrison.blogspot.com http://www.myspace.com/rlarrison http://www.linkedin.com/in/rlarrison
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for viewing my blog and leaving a comment.