What Freedom Means to Me

“Humanity has won its battle. Liberty now has a country”.

Marquis de LaFayette, 1781

Before I can answer what freedom means to me, we must first understand what freedom is and how we get or achieve freedom. What is freedom? Dictionaries define it multiple ways but essentially they offer the following. Freedom (noun): (1) the power or right to act, speak or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. (2) absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government. (3) the power of self-determination attributed to the will; the quality of being independent of fate or necessity. Synonyms include independence, self-determination, self-rule. How do we achieve freedom? To me, this is an easy answer. Freedom comes from God, but it is up to man to keep and preserve it.

Man was made in the image of its—our—Creator. He gave us “free will”. This phrase simply means we were created with the ability to think, analyze, draw conclusions and finally make decisions and choices. Because we were made in His image we possess the ability of reason and decision making. The scripture is clear: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:26-27.

We, man and woman, male and female, may look different, but all over this created planet in a created universe, the whole of humanity was created with both the ability and responsibility to manage and exert authority over our own lives and all of creation. It was upon this principle of being free our Founding Fathers authored the Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their powers from the consent of the governed.”

This Nation was founded upon the very principle God gave to all mankind—to be free. Years after the Revolutionary War, the writers of the Constitution enumerate some of these rights that come from our Creator—not by man and not by government—they are called the “Bill of Rights”.

We are free to choose what we believe, where we travel, where we live, what we eat, if, how and who we worship. We are free to voice our opinions or remain silent. We are free to gather publicly in both support of or opposition to our elected officials. We are free to criticize. We are free to praise. We are free to start and conduct business. We are free to enter contracts. We are free to do just about anything we want, even denouncing how wonderful this Nation is. This means we are free to burn, stomp, and disrespect the flag of this great Nation. We are free to draw cartoons and create art of religious figures. We are free.

While I have tried to explain what freedom is, I find it difficult. Freedom is hard to explain while you live free, but becomes extremely easy when you lose it. To me, freedom is more about the conscious choice to become and remain free. It is about our daily decision to either accept encroachments on freedoms or question their validity. It is about exercising our rights or losing them.

We have all heard the expression, “Home of the free because of the brave”. We then associate “the brave” with the men and women serving in our military. This is a true and an apt applicable association—our military is all volunteer and they will serve and “fight for right and freedom” “in ev'ry clime and place”. However, I assert the responsibility belongs to all that live free. We must choose to remain free, for we can either live free in our lives, or in our memories.

When we look back to the Revolutionary War, the men that gathered, took up arms, and battled a superpower, they were your neighbors, not some trained military. They were craftsman, noblemen, store clerks, farmers, backwoodsmen, authors and doctors, and lawyers. They represented three percent of the Colonists. A mere three percent changed the course of a nation and lead the world to a monumental change in philosophy and government. They fought from Lexington to Yorktown in small towns, countrysides, and valleys, with names like Ticonderoga and Saratoga, Boston and Bunker Hill, Camden, and Cowpens. These brave men were veterans of a war, yet not professional soldiers. They agreed with John Adams. Shortly before he signed the Declaration of Independence he said, “I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the gloom, I can see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is more than worth all the means and that posterity will triumph”. These three percent in tattered uniforms, using rags for boots stood proudly as they watched Cornwallis and his British Army adorned in colorful uniforms march in and surrender to Washington.

The Declaration of Independence John Trumbull

The spirit of the three percent resides in each of us. We know the importance of living free. Living in the manner God intended. We have seen this spirit multiple times. From all the battlefields on foreign soil to a seat on a Montgomery bus. We must be willing to take a stand and lift up our voice to stop anyone that attempts to limit our freedom.

Thomas Paine challenged, nay charged us to do just that, “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”

Declaration of Independence

What freedom means to me is choosing to and doing all in my power to make all people free and most importantly, keeping this Nation as the “home of the free”. The cost of freedom is high. It is never paid in full. The costs are worth it and the means justify the end.

Enjoy your weekend but please take a moment to reflect on the 56 signatures affixed to a parchment titled “The unanimous Declaration of the united Thirteen States”. These men knew and willingly accepted the risk of death by signing their name in a Philadelphia, PA meeting hall. What are you willing to risk?

May God continue to bless these United States of America.