The Soul's Right to Breathe

"I'd rather be a free man in my grave, than living as a puppet or a slave." -Winston Churchhill

Before I go any further, I want to thank all of the men and women in uniform who have fought and died for the freedom that my family, friends, and I enjoy. I am so very thankful for those who have protected my freedom of speech and expression.  I thank the military for allowing me to give my children a peaceful childhood, one without terror and violence, and I am thankful that I get to wake up in the morning and live my life how I want to live it.

Sometimes I think we have so many options as Americans that we may take our freedom for granted.  It's important not to do that because if you don't appreciate or understand the value of freedom, it's easy for someone to take it away from you.  If you don't know what it feels like for someone to pin you down and force you into things, you might not see what a blessing a set of wings and an open door is.  So tomorrow, as you get all cute in your red, white, and blue and drink beer and watch fireworks, remember what it all means.....

For freedom to exist you have to appreciate it.  There are always going to be those who would rather conform and follow, but there have to exist those who are willing to fight.  Appreciate those people.  To appreciate freedom, you have to also respect opposing opinions and lifestyles and understand that you are enforcing freedom for yourself by accepting others.  It always kills me when one group talks about their religion, their civil rights, and their political beliefs while trying to permanently squash another.  They don't even understand the simplest principle on which this country was founded and they will never understand how lucky they are to live here.  People like that scare me on one hand and then on the other, I want to laugh at them because they don't understand anything at all. Being free requires having an open mind and an open heart and when people are closed off; they are trapped in their own heads.  It's sad.  The people who want freedom for themselves but are unwilling to give it to others are undeserving of the freedom they've been given and they will never ever appreciate it.  Understanding the concept of freedom is much like understanding free will.  How can you claim to understand that God gave us free will and then not understand that this comes with responsibility?  If we take free will for ourselves, we are going to have to put up with and live amongst people who are different than we are and who believe different things because you are no better than them.  Freedom is the same way.  Henry Ward Beecher said "Liberty is the soul's right to breathe".  We are blessed to live in a country that was founded on the belief that freedom is inherent.  Respect that.  Honor it by respecting others.  Love others, even if they are different.

Happy 4th of July one day early!  Be safe!  I will not be posting much the next few days because I will be in Ohio with Brea.  I will post pictures when I get back. And then there's this video: