I have heard some people say that you can smell freedom in the air in America. 

 

Independence is about freedom.  Independence is also about being separate from rule of a governing authority - the concept of taxation without representation.  It wasn't so much the tax that upset the colonial states - it was the fact that residents had no representation in parliament (the British governing body of authority).  

 

The original idea of forming statehood under a united front of democracy came from several places.  The founding writers of the constitution borrowed ideas from other forms of government, including: Roman, Greek and British systems.  At that time, there was also a system of democracy among the Iroquois, an indigenous tribe of nations.  

 

The Iroquois had five faction nations which were continually at war with one another.  A traveler called "The Peacemaker" came to the tribes and bound five arrows together, showing to the tribes that one strong arrow would not break as easily as a single arrow (as he snapped one arrow over his knee).  The tribes voted to form a nation, called the Iroquois, to designate rules for living together, farming, and hunting.  These were five tribes who, prior to the revolutionary battles between the French and English, lived peacefully and flourished.   

 

The Iroquois made a profound impact upon Benjamin Franklin about how the states could be organized.  America, today, is not the same America as in those days.  The Civil War (1861-65) changed our political system by uniting the states and giving the federal government jurisdiction power over state governments.  This changed the concept of the constitution of the states; however, because now State law can be struck down by Federal law (as mandated by the Supreme Court).  We have seen positives arise from the Civil War, such as the abolishment of slave ownership, so perhaps it was simply necessary to achieve real independence and freedom for ALL Americans, despite the changes to the constitution interpretation.

 

Many countries have their own Independence Day they celebrate.   A reminder to me came from a Chinese woman who didn't say the common "have a nice 4th", but instead said "Happy Independence Day" -- it struck me that she certainly understood the meaning of the holiday.  She had migrated to America from China, a country known for poor working conditions and suppression of individual rights.

 

Whatever we take our independence to mean, it is valuable to remember that people, in many cases our parents and generations before them, braved harsh winters and difficult times and fighting (and death) for this independence.   I recently learned that I am a son of the American Revolution, as my Mother has been digging into our ancestry to find out our great, great, great grandparents fought in the war.  

 

I learned, in a small booklet written by my great, great, great grandfather, that during a famine in the early 1800's, they ran out of food -- food of any kind was so scarce, and hunger so great, that our ancestors ate the bark off of trees.  

 

Many people, such as refugees during WWII and subsequent wars/actions, braved tremendously opposing conditions to immigrate to America.  However, despite these challenges many people have died to come here.  United States, with the freedom she offers, is a beacon around the world to refugees, down-trodden, and people who long for a better way of life.  

 

Democracy has won the economic and cold war battles fought over the past 40 years.  

 

I thought, as I saw the fireworks overhead during Independence Day, 2000, "what would happen if we did not have our freedom or answered to another power?  Would we have slavery?  Would people live the way they do now?  What would a hard day's worth of work look like to us then?  Would the internet matter?"  We could go on with this type of thinking, but you get the idea.  While our forefathers (and foremothers) may not have done everything right in America, they did succeed in creating a model of government which became a dominant world power. 

 

Since that time, America was attacked by terrorists at the World Trade Center and Pentagon (if you believe the official story). This action, or at least the government's actions as a result of 9-11, will limit some of our freedom; yet, we will fight tooth and nail for our freedom and the independent and strong sense of freedom United States has come to represent. As in the movie "Braveheart," when William Wallace was about to die, rather than renounce his name and dignity he shouts out "FREEDOM!!!"  and is then be-headed. As Wallace said, "they can take our lives, but they can never take away our freedom." This type of Scottish pride runs deep through anyone who has a heart for freedom. They might crash into our twin towers and the Pentagon with our airplanes. They could bomb other buildings or attack our military. But our resolve would stand, we would remember, our resources would overcome, and our spirit will remain FREE. If our heart is free, we must have the courage to follow it. I think there is something sinister at work rotting the guts of our politicians to enable them to go to war over false evidence and then not impeach the president who presided over such false evidence. Why has the congress stood by and done nothing?

 

I'm beginning to think the lot of them are mostly corrupt. My grandfather said to my mother once, "honest going in, not coming out," about politicians. I would like to think that this is not true; however, there just seems to be a lot of wisdom in that statement.

 

Dying for our freedom is not something American citizens have done in a long time. However, the heart of this eagle is stirred. We will fly in the face of danger and fight for our beliefs. I have so much respect for the soldiers who are fighting against hidden and sneaky enemies in Iraq right now. I am grateful they are willing to put their lives on the line for the values we all believe in. I'm just wondering what will come of it?

 

While we think of our independence, perhaps we can also think of ways to improve our situation and vote responsibly for people who stand for integrity, independence, and freedom. Or, we may decide to take personal action to stand for freedom, independence, liberty, and justice for all human beings.  You don't have to be American to appreciate freedom or desire it. No matter where you come from, let us stand together for freedom. Freedom is a core value enabling us to truly ASPIRE to our greatness.

 

How does FREEDOM relate to our LIFE PURPOSE?

 

It's simple. The more FREE we become, the more we are able to truly live our purpose, and to the highest degree possible. If you are not free in your country, I encourage you to stand up for basic inalienable human rights. We deserve to have freedom and we deserve to be free from the dictates of others who would take advantage of our situation.

 

Note: since I wrote this article, I've come to believe that all is not as it seems regarding 9-11. Do your own research, but the official story just doesn't gel for me. I'll tell you why: investigations were not thorough and were partial. Reports by people with ties to yellow journalism have made strong attempts to quash conspiracy theories, such as Time Magazine, The History Channel, and Popular Mechanics Magazine (owned by the Hearst Corporation). The officials in our government have, on numerous occasions, lied about (a) facts behind 9-11, (b) facts regarding going to war, and (c) facts regarding other important laws, such as the Homeland Security, Patriot Act, and subsequent loss of the freedoms many Americans, including my own ancestors fought so gallantly and nobly to protect (my mother is a daughter of the American Revolution and I have ancestors who fought in both the Revolution and the Civil War). I truly care about America and the Constitution of the United States. We must band together and protest our freedom. It is as important as any attack upon our country.