As we gather to celebrate the 4th of July, I want to extend my warmest wishes to you and your loved ones. Independence Day is a moment to commemorate the birth of a nation and honor the ideals that have shaped our collective story. But as we mark this occasion, I invite you to pause and reflect on the deeper significance of the day.

Independence and Freedom are Different 

Independence and freedom, often spoken of in the same breath, are not synonymous. A country can free itself from the grip of foreign rule or oppressive colonizers, only to inflict the same learned patterns of oppression onto its people. True freedom is not simply a matter of political sovereignty, but also of the ways we treat one another, and the space we allow for individual dignity and self-determination.

History reminds us that it is perilous to entrust our fears and insecurities, whether justified or imagined, exclusively to the hands of government. Consider that the existence of government is best justified when most are dependent on it. Are potential threats worth sacrificing our freedom for? Should we accept being told we can't buy unpasteurized dairy simply because some believe it’s unsafe? Is it right that donating excess produce from a small farm without a permit is illegal? Or that what was once permissible, transporting a firearm in a visible rifle rack, has now become mostly illegal? Even in places where it’s still legal, law-abiding citizens with firearms are often harassed by police out of unjustifiable fear. Where do we draw the line between safety and liberty?

Beware of Building Our Own Prisons

When we address our anxieties with foolish rules, constant surveillance, and the construction of walls, fences, and bars, we risk becoming more confined than protected. We may find ourselves slowly trapped in an open-air prison of our own making. Each new measure, no matter how well-intended, often erodes the liberties we cherish. The most insidious loss of civil liberties involves willful and incremental surrender, over time; all in exchange for a false sense of safety that can never truly be achieved.

What Have People Been Sold?

The reality is that fear and insecurity will always have a place in the human experience, especially when the threats we perceive are shaped less by probability than by what we have been told, sold, or conditioned to expect. In this season of celebration, let us each ask ourselves: How much freedom are we willing to trade for the promise of security? At what point do the solutions offered by our government become the very barriers to the life and liberty we cherish? And finally, is it possible that we’ve already crossed a dangerous threshold.

Let's Be The Cowboy & The Pirate

It's important to understand that the cowboy and the pirate are ultimate representations of freedom, but their environments were never safe.  Conversely, the prince and princess are always guarded and kept safe, but are essentially prisoners of the palace and have no say in how they desire to live.  Which would you rather be?  

This Independence Day, may we honor not just the founding of a nation, but the ongoing responsibility to safeguard our freedoms, from without, and even more importantly, from within.

Wishing you a spirited, thoughtful, and joyful Fourth of July. ~