What is freedom?

This is a question I’ve been asking myself lately. What is freedom?

I grew up thinking that I live in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. But lately, I’m not so sure anymore. There are pundits galore to tell us about the problems in our government, or with big business, or with our way of life. But I almost never hear them talking about the simple values that make America special. Like freedom.

I am fortunate enough to work at a company that has brought in bright people from all over the world. Even though this brings up many personal issues for me, like why do they hire someone from another country, when I live here and can do the job just as well? But I still feel fortunate to meet people from many cultures and learn from them. So why are these bright people coming to America?

Opportunity

So is opportunity a form of freedom? I believe so, yes. Our founding fathers believed that given the opportunity, decent people can govern themselves. That they could find ways to prosper together, band together to defend themselves from aggressors that would do them harm, and pursue their own vision of happiness. Our system of government gives us the opportunity to pursue happiness in whatever way we see fit, with the exception of things that would harm others.

Even at the time these weighty matters were being debated before the assembly that would generate our Constitution, there were two competing views on whether people could govern themselves. There were those who said that people were incapable of governing themselves, and that there should be a strong central government to make sure that people did the right things. After all, this was how things had always been done within monarchies.

But there was another view of the issue, and fortunately for us, that view won out in the end. It was the view espoused by men such as Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin, that good men could in fact govern themselves. That a people that held a firm reliance on a guiding principle could make good decisions for themselves and arrive at a successful society. And we have for more than two hundred years. The important part of the equation is the firm reliance on a higher guiding principle. A firm reliance on God, whichever view of God you follow and however you choose to worship him or her, or even them. The view of God is less important than the belief in a higher power that encourages a person to think about right and wrong. Guidance that helps people do the right thing, not for personal gain, but because they believe it is the right thing to do.

The founding fathers believed that telling people what to do and how to live their lives limited their freedom, and that left unchecked would lead to a repressive government virtually indistinguishable from slavery. And yet, this debate continues today. You can find elements of this debate in the core principles of our current political parties: Republicans want to maintain opportunity and the ability to succeed or fail on your own merits, and Democrats believe that it is the job of government to protect the people by choosing the right course of action on their behalf.

Neither party is without fault, and so too, neither party is without merit. Because it still up to the individual in this nation to decide what is right. I learned early in life that when someone tells me how terrible my circumstances are and how I am being abused by something over which I have no power, I need to keep a hand on my wallet and watch my freedom. We all have the freedom to succeed. It’s just that many folks in our society are being told that they cannot succeed without help from the government.

Slavery

“Here, let us build a ramp to get you up those stairs. They’re much too difficult for someone like you.”

“These choices are much too difficult for an ordinary person to make. Let us guide you.”

Statements like these enslave a person’s soul. They tell you that you are less than the person speaking to you. They tell you to stay in your place and let your betters handle things. This is not what I believe is a core value in America. Or at least, I believe this should not be a value here.

This is slavery. There are no whips and chains today; no nets to capture members of a racial or political group so that they may become the servants of another group. Just words and ideas. Words and ideas that degrade others so that self-proclaimed elites can exert control and gain status. Witty comments about people may gain laughter when used innocently; but they soon turn sour when they begin to persuade people that the target is less than human.

Opportunity is a core value in America. The opportunity to succeed or fail based on your own efforts. The opportunity to compete with others and become better by competing. I remember the thrill of earning a merit badge in Boy Scouts, or a trophy when I competed in karate long ago. But my son now receives tokens of participation from school events. Our children are told that they are all the same. That no one shall fail because they are all special. It’s as if the people (whomever they are) that are deciding how we shall live are trying to dumb us down, to make us no better than herd animals to be managed.

So where do you stand? Do you believe that government knows better than the individual that elects them? Do you believe that people are basically good, and that when guided by a moral belief they can govern themselves? Do you stand as a human that possesses a unique soul and mind? Or are you just a member of the herd? Only you can decide, and only if you are the one making the choice.