The
'Freedom Train' is a powerful metaphor describing an oppressed people running
and escaping from their enslaved condition toward the ability to think and act
for themselves. From the founding of this country to present, people both here
domestically and abroad have understood this concept. Freedom is moving from
being coddled and cared for all in the name of "for your own good"
yet all the while increasingly removing personal choices, toward the ability to
think for oneself. Kings did it (and still do), slave owners did it (and still
do around the world). Pretty much anyone in a position of authority has the
ability to do it to us -IF WE LET THEM.
And
there is the rub -IF WE LET THEM! In America, we turned the traditional idea of
authority over an individual on its head. Some very smart founders of our
country looked at all of recorded history to date and realized that
traditionally the individual had been on the bottom rung of that ladder with
layers of human authority over them, intertwining, restricting and choking the
ability of people to make choices for themselves.
They
asked a great question, perhaps the greatest of all questions -HOW DO WE GET
FREEDOM? Freedom to think, freedom to speak, freedom to act as long as we do
not harm our fellow humans ability to do the same for themselves. The answer?
WE HAVE INDIVIDUALLY BEEN ENDOWED BY OUR CREATOR WITH THAT FREEDOM. The
Founders belief in a Supreme Being that created humans with freedom was not
new. Their enshrining it in a national Constitution, a document that all
parties agreed would be the ruling law of the land -NOT A KING OR A HUMAN
MASTER OF ANY KIND, WAS! In fact, it was REVOLUTIONARY!
So for
centuries now we have had people(s) from all over the world buying into this
concept of freedom that we once held so dearly. Yet, decades now of neglect to
tending the fires of freedom have left the main stakeholders indifferent as to
why we in these United States are exceptional in a world of schemes to run and
control orderly societies. We have lost sight of the forest for the trees. We
have become so inured with enjoying the benefits of freedom that we have lost
sight of the most fundamental aspect of freedom. YOU CANNOT EXERCISE THE BENEFITS
OF FREEDOM WITHOUT ACCEPTING THE CONCURRENT RESPONSIBILITIES NEEDEDTO MAINTAIN
FREEDOM!
We have
been taught/conditioned to believe that the opposite, in fact, is true. You CAN
get something for nothing. There IS such a thing as a free lunch (at least in
schools) you DIDN’T earn (or deserve) what you worked hard for, you DON’T have
to think and make hard choices because that is what Government is for. In other
words, personal responsibility no longer matters. Actions (or inaction) do not
have consequences!
You see,
we have forgotten the basics. Freedom in the fallen world of humanity is not
the default condition. Quite the opposite, mankind’s oppression and enslavement
of fellow humans is the norm of the self-absorbed human soul.
In other
words, FREEDOM HAS AN ENEMY! The founders knew this and sought in all ways
possible to bind the dark nature of the sinful soul. They put ties and binds on
the evil that rises up to seek to enslave one to another. They sought to
restrict the natural craving that humans have for power over one another. Was
the system perfect? –not by any means. The most glaring example was the
inclusion of man’s inhumanity towards African slaves. Yet even in that, there
was a very real split between those that sought to profit through slavery and
those that saw the evil portrayed through slavery because they believed in the
value of every living soul created by Maker of the universe; a problem that
festered until it could be stood no more and eventuated a civil war amongst
Americans.
So today
the ‘Freedom Train’ and all its players still exists. There are still those who
will risk life and limb to claw their way on board to ride into into this
country. There are still those that think they are the ‘masters’ who wish to
pull us off the train and club us into submission with ever increasingly
obtrusive laws over our lives. There are still those who pretend they are in
charge of the train and tell us where they will be taking us “FOR OUR OWN
GOOD”!
We are
told by Congressman and Presidents that they will “look out for us” and that we
should just relax because talk of “tyrannies” and gov’t oppression is just
silly talk. They will tell us that they will protect us and that they just need
to know a little more about our lives in order to make us safer from the bad
people and that if we would just trust them with that we will all be happier!
There is
one problem with that, it flies in the face of all the recorded history of
mankind. There are those who know history and live as if freedom is the most
precious jewel given as an inheritance from generation to generation in this
country. And then there are those who USE their freedom to undermine and erode
the freedom of others in order to consolidate power to unto themselves.
Freedom, at its base, is the ability to live our lives free from intrusion from
anyone or any entity as much as possible –to live act and be as we choose to
be! You cannot give government power over Americans without first taking the
freedom to choose in some way away from Americans!
So
freedom DOES have an enemy and it is our job to distinguish friend from foe and
make sure we elect those in authority over us who understand what dangers there
are to our freedom. IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO KNOW WHO THE FRIENDS OF FREEDOM
ARE. IT IS OUR DUTY TO FUTURE GENERATIONS TO SECURE LIBERTY FOR THEM JUST AS
THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE US HAVE PREVIOUSLY DONE!
In the
end, we all decide if we want to continue to be a part of this great ‘Freedom
Train’. We get to choose if we want to keep the gifts of freedom to body,
mind and soul given to us freely by our Creator God. We get to choose to hop on
board, stay on board or crash this train forever. We get to choose our
destination because our
Please
choose wisely!
Yours in
His freedom,
Vincent
C. Schmuki
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