I had the privilege of going with my sweet dad on an Honor Flight to Washington, D. C. this week. We visited several memorials. If I had to sum up the one idea I had while visiting these memorials, it would be what is inscribed on the picture above, at the World War II memorial: Here we mark the price of freedom. Each star in the picture stands for 100 men who died in the conflict. Every inch of the Vietnam Memorial is inscribed with names of the fallen, about a half-inch tall. Row after row of tombstones at Arlington shout the same refrain. All of these men died for freedom. Here are some thoughts I have after seeing all of these memorials and being with men who have served in the military:
1. Freedom is a precious commodity. All of the fallen had families. My dad's oldest brother died in World War II. If something is of value based on the cost, then freedom is the most precious thing on this earth, because it cost the lives of fathers, brothers, uncles, cousins and neighbors.
2. Freedom requires protection. There has not been just one war for freedom. We must continually fight to protect it. It seems that every generation must do so...at least in the last 100 years or so.
3. Freedom requires sacrifice. Not just of lives, but of time, resources and agendas.
I left Washington D.C. thankful for those who served and those who died in defense of our country. (And thankful for a good pilot, as there was really serious turbulence as we left Washington. The man sitting next to me on the flight said it was because of all the hot air.....) But I also had a question come up in my mind: do we even understand what freedom is today? And would we have the same commitment to defend it today?
I looked up the definition of freedom on www.dictionary.com. Here is what I found:
1.the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint:
He won his freedom after a retrial.
exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.
2.the power to determine action without restraint.
3.political or national independence.
4.personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery:
a slave who bought his freedom.
5.exemption from the presence of anything specified (usually followed by from):
freedom from fear.
6.the absence of or release from ties, obligations,
Then I looked up the definition of the word license:
1.formal permission from a governmental or other constituted authority to do something, as to carry on some business or profession.
2. a certificate, tag, plate, etc., giving proof of such permission; official permit:
a driver's license.
3. permission to do or not to do something.
4. intentional deviation from rule, convention, or fact, as for the sake of literary or artistic effect:
poetic license.
5. exceptional freedom allowed in a special situation.
6. excessive or undue freedom or liberty.
While there are some similar definitions, it seems to me that freedom is more about that which is for the greater good, and license is more about what happens to us personally. I bring this up because I fear that in the last 50 years, our country has gone from being concerned with the greater good, to championing individual rights. The problem with this is that when the country was founded, the greater good was thought to be more important. Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence wrote that everyone was "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights" which included "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." So the focus is on a bigger ;picture; the plan of a Creator, and the big ideas. I do not think that the framers of the Constitution mean that I have a right to be happy at all costs; for instance, I do not have the right to walk into a crowded theater and yell "fire!", even if there is not one. I believe that the framers of the Constitution meant that my freedoms should be granted, but not to the extent that they impair the freedoms of others. So, I am not completely without restraint.
My concern is that in our present culture, we prize the concept of doing whatever we want, whenever we want--no matter who we offend or hurt, and to the extent that if someone tells us we cannot say or do something we take measures to destroy them via social media. While I believe that everyone has free speech, I really do not think that our veterans served and died to live in a culture where people say the most hateful and vile things without restraint. I do not believe that they died so that people can behave however they want without restraint and then vilify people who disagree with their lifestyle. And I do not believe that they served and died so that we could be pressured to deny our beliefs because they are politically incorrect. I do not believe that they died so that a small majority of the country can force their beliefs on the entire nation. I do not believe that they died so that we could boycott stores that do not support our beliefs. I do not believe they died so that we can neglect the poor and the disabled. And I'm not being political here--I think both sides of the political aisle carry guilt equally for what we have become. I believe these brave men and women died for more, and that we as a country should be more than that. I believe that we can have rational conversations and disagree agreeably and live for the greater good. All of the men who died in service to our country deserve that.
If you know a veteran, especially one who has served during World War II, I encourage you to contact the folks at Heartland Honor Flight. (www.heartlandhonorflight.org). It is an amazing experience. I left proud of my dad and proud of those who served.
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