Thoughts on Independence Day (4th of July):

the Essence of Freedom and Liberty
By Ani J-S—Virginia—USA
Editor in Chief

The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom is courage.
~ Thucydides 2)

 

On July 4, the United States celebrates its Independence Day, a day of patriotic celebration and to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence to end the tyranny of the British Monarchy 1). We celebrate the essence of freedom, because we hold truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that we are each endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights - among them are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

However, what does freedom mean? What is the difference between freedom and liberty?

The Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines 1)
- freedom as the quality or state of being free:
a: the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action
b: liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another: independence
c: the quality or state of being exempt or released usually from something onerous

- liberty the quality or state of being free:
a : the power to do as one pleases
b : freedom from physical restraint
c : freedom from arbitrary or despotic control
d : the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges e : the power of choice.

It may conclude that liberty is the ability to "do as one pleases." 3) Freedom is "absence of coercion or constraint in choice." To coin a loose phrase, liberty is a "natural" right, God given, and should be available to anyone that lives on this earth. Freedom is not a right; it is an absence of outside pressure. This absence must be earned and protected. Freedom requires your action to attain and maintain. Liberty is given. Freedom protects and allows liberty.

Because of that the Americans are grateful for the fundamental freedoms, not granted by the government, but recognized by the government as in alienable, and protected by the Constitution. -To our founding fathers, who came up with the idea of a nation dedicated to the preservation of individual rights and liberties, and persevered to establish the nation. -the principles set forth that define the nation.

Whether satisfied or not with how the country today is a reflection of the Founder’s intent, the nation we all live in is still a modern miracle, in relative terms, of freedom and liberty.


References

1) Bauer, Paul; (2007); The Essence of Freedom; Retrieved July 9, 2008, from http://www.dreamalive.com/blog/?p=47

2) Kall, Rob; Freedom Quotations (41), Retrieved June 30, 2008, from http://www.futurehealth.org/freedomq.

3) Flaming Duck; (2005); Liberty and Freedom?….Freedom and Libety?: Retrieved August 31, 2008, from http://flamingduck.blogspot.com/2005/01/liberty-and-freedomfreedom-and-liberty.html