Freedom. Liberty. Independence.
On this day in the United States we celebrate our independence from Great Britain. We think of the forefathers of this country in reverence. In many respects they were just ordinary people living in extraordinary times, and made significant contributions in shaping the freedoms we enjoy.
The founding of our country created a government that protected individual freedom. It was not just independence from Great Britain, but true independence. For me, I admire the individuals that had the initiative to capture the spirit of liberty in the words and documents that created the United States.
Freedom is not only how we live, but how we treat others. As Nelson Mandela said, “To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
Abraham Lincoln said, “The world has never had a good definition of the word liberty, and the American people, just now, are much in want of one. We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing. With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his labor; while with others the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other mens labor. Here are two, not only different, but incompatable things, called by the same name liberty. And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective parties, called by two different and incompatable names liberty and tyranny.”
On this Independence Day, I think it is important to think about how you respect the rights and freedoms of all people. You would want them to respect yours.