Issue 27.14
I will start by letting you know that I understand our freedoms are under attack from a number of sources. We have to actively defend our liberty if we want to keep it. That said, the United States of America is still the gold standard of the world when it comes to individual freedom, opportunity and hope for the common man.
Here we have the freedom to succeed – and to fail. Failure is one of our greatest teachers. Most people who have changed their lives for the better in stunning ways have first attended the school of hard knocks and failure. In many countries, neither is an option as your life and employment are managed to prevent failure and as a result, also preclude great success.
Here we have the freedom to associate, to believe in and worship who or what we want, to make a difference or to become different. We have the ability to teach our children our values and to try to encourage others to change or accept what we believe. We are also restricted from forcing our ideas on anyone else, even if the government agrees with us.
Here we have the freedom to affect the direction and attitude of our nation. We the people are the nation, and its elected officials serve at our pleasure. We can elect them and we can remove them. We can influence their choices in making law and policy. If they are not responsive to what a majority of those they represent feel is right, we can choose new representatives.
Here we have the understanding that many of what we consider “rights” are granted by God and not by government and, as such, are not rightly controlled or removed by government. They are unalienable rights and the government “of the people, by the people and for the people” is duty bound to protect those rights at all times. In fact, it is the purpose of government to so do.
Here we have a document that creates a series of protections of those rights and clearly spells out the proper role of government and precludes or resists actions that do not fall into that proper role. It’s called the Constitution and it deserves our respect, protection and effort to maintain and defend.
It will take constant vigilance and active defense of our liberty and freedom if we want to continue to be the best place on earth for opportunity, hope and liberty and justice for all. It will mean taking the time and effort to learn and teach each other the Principles of Freedom and it will mean actually electing people as our servant representatives that see their time in office as a stewardship and responsibility, not a career or a way to power and riches. It means not only voting, but being well informed before voting. It means challenging our representatives and being aware of what they do in our name. That is how a republic works.
Lynn West is a thinker, a teacher and a patriot. You can reach him through email at forgingthefuture2021@gmail.com or through this newspaper. Liberty is a state of being which must be continually created. These articles can help all of us discover the ways we can contribute to that outcome.