Independence Day, preserving freedom

 


This short collection of quotes summarizes much of what I feel about the country of my birth. I #GiveThanks for the blessing of having been born and raised here. And I recognize the obligation that accompanies that blessing.
I remember some years ago, a friend was visiting me from Brazil and we were having a family gathering in a public park with a picnic lunch. He commented to me, "We could never do this where I live. People would come and steal the food from us. You don't realize the freedom you have here." That surprised me; I had never looked at freedom in quite that way - the freedom to do simple things.
Freedom is lost, a step at a time, when basic moral behavior is forgotten. We used to be free to walk freely around airports, to meet friends and family at the gates where they arrived, etc. - but not anymore. We lost that freedom because of the actions of a few who replaced it with constant suspicion and need for security in public places. There are many other examples of how freedom can be gradually and subtly whittled away. It is not always a dramatic military conquest that brings down a nation.
It's never been more important than now to teach and practice kindness, unselfishness, awareness of others, concern for our neighbor, service to those in need, and commitment to faith in God. Independence Day should cause us to ponder the cost of freedom and to recommit to do our small part, day to day, to preserve it.

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