October 25, 2017

Value of Freedom

By Tammy Derouin

Life is never boring. It's an endless roller coaster of ups and downs, twists and turns, gut wrenching upsets and uncontrollable laughter. As much as we would love life to slow down for a little while, given the alternative, we continue the ride. We hold on as long as possible. We choose life and all the chaos which comes with it.

Life is worth living. We know this to be true because we never stop investing in ways to improve or prolong the life we've been given. Life is too short. We realize how quickly life goes by with each passing birthday. Life is difficult and very complicated, yet extremely rewarding. If it wasn't worth living, worth fighting for, giving up would be acceptable practice. Quitting is not an option for most.

We were not born with individualized how-to guides to help navigate us through life. There weren't any maps indicating all the hazards and challenges we would face or the answers to situations which would alter our path. Life is full of surprises and many trials and errors. Our life experiences, our struggles and triumphs, are what make us unique individuals. Not a single one of us could control how we entered this world or the circumstances of the times into which we were born. It's what we do with those challenges, how we strive to make a difference and how we go about obtaining those goals which determines our success.

Each generation before us helped to create a better life for those who would follow. We do not live in a perfect world and many wrongs take time to correct. We continue to strive for a better life for our children just as our ancestors did for us. Because of their sacrifices, we are free. It should be a great comfort that no matter what personal challenges we face, we live in a country where personal freedoms are not supposed to be in question. Life could be so much worse. We take our freedoms for granted and forget our blessings.

Sadly, a great divide has taken place in our country as to what a better tomorrow means. We have reached a point in time where far too many individuals feel the government knows best and should have much more control over our lives. This visionary dream of a perfect world removes personal freedom and our ability to control our lives. The fact that a socialist made it as far as he did in a U.S. presidential election is proof that many do not understand the value of freedom. This past week I heard some words that put things into perspective; there's truth and there are the uninformed.

Nobody likes to be deceived or so I once thought. What has become so difficult to understand is the length to which people will go to remain uninformed. A destructive situation is created when truth is suppressed. A false reality is produced and when people chose to blindly follow rather than check things out for themselves, a dangerous situation is created. How many false, deliberately concocted stories must an individual or an administration endure before truth vindicates them? Why are so many people afraid of the truth?

The truth continues to surface about the anti-American activity which took place during the Obama administration. The ugly truth about highly inappropriate activity and deeds with foreign nations doesn't seem to concern the loyal following of what could have been an even more corrupt administration, if that is possible, had Hillary won the election. The fact that such information is still being ignored by the main stream media should be very alarming.

Everyone is entitled to their beliefs. That's what so great about our country. Your right to speak, believe and defend yourself are not dependent upon which political party is in office. When a political agenda is pushed using false information that's bad enough; when political activism seeks to silence opposing views, that's very troubling as it will have destructive consequences for everyone.

Ultimately, each individual is responsible for their own actions or inaction. We expect honesty from our family, friends and even strangers to some extent. We are hurt when we discover that we have been deceived. As we put ourselves through a range of emotions, we wonder if we will ever be able to again trust the individual who let us down or in some cases, we question ourselves. How could we have been so foolish? If we wanted to be honest with ourselves, was the truth right before our eyes? Did we choose not to see it?

“A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.”

John F. Kennedy