I read another Examiner's column a while back where he said he wanted to ask Santa for "freedom" for Christmas. Nice sentiment, which I would be inclined to agree with, if only it worked that way.
I commented:
Of course, no one can "give you" freedom- you must make it for yourself. That's
why it sometimes looks a little ragged around the edges, but it is still the
best gift you can give yourself.
You can try to give freedom to someone, but some people refuse to accept it, choosing their chains instead. Others may seem to accept it, but won't hold onto that which was handed to them. Only those who make (or take) their own freedom, and fight to keep it, will stay free in most cases. It is a case of not appreciating what you have until you lose it, and freedom, once lost, is rarely regained in its entirety.
While freedom can't really be given, it can certainly be taken away. Sometimes that is justified; usually it is not. It is not right to take away your freedom unless you are attacking someone or stealing from an innocent person. And even then the goal should be to stop the attack and encourage restitution (if the attacker/thief survives) rather than "punishment".
If someone attempts to take away your freedom for a phony reason, like because of your ingestion of government-prohibited substances or for resisting being stolen from by the "tax"-man, then you are right to fight back with everything you have in an attempt to keep your freedom. Chances are, in the current police-state, it will not work. Every choice and action has consequences, and cooperating with thugs may actually be worse in the long run.
Don't count on anyone "giving you" freedom or you may have a very long wait. It is worth the effort to create your own right where you live, right now.
Merry Christmas (and/or the Winter Solstice holiday of your choice), dear readers. Give yourselves a big box of freedom today, and keep using it all year long.
