Freedom for all?

America will not be destroyed from the outside.
If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be
because we destroyed ourselves.
Abraham Lincoln

It’s Memorial Day. A time for remembering those who have given their lives in service to our country. I am indebted and I am grateful! And I feel detached – detached from the intended good of our country because the news reads like everyone is out for themselves. Of course humanity is complicated. But the general theme I interpret is a sprawling society of individualism. We seem to be missing the fact that our unalienable rights which include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are bound up in community. To have liberty, our liberty must also be limited for the sake of others’ freedom. 

Looking at the voices represented in the new issue of National Geographic, I wonder what these voices would say about our individualism? They sacrificed their individual freedom to fight for the rights of many. To fight for liberty, many people sacrificed their right to life. To fight for life, health care and essential workers today sacrifice their right to safety. I could create a whole litany of those who sacrifice their individual rights for the good of community. 

But on this rainy day here in Dallas, I am showered with wondering what sacrifices I must make to truly love my neighbor? Where must I limit my freedom to let the oppressed go free – for the wellness and safety of the whole community? What conversations do I need to participate in, limiting the freedom of my biased opinion to hear the experience of others? What privileged blindness must I sacrifice to understand the harm my privilege can evoke on entire communities? How can I limit the individualism of my pursuits and be good news to the poor? 

 I don’t have answers, but the questions are important. In asking the questions I hope to learn more and be more willing to understand where I must sacrifice so we can all be free. 

If you have come to help me you are wasting your time.
If you have come because your liberty is bound up with mine,
then let us work together.
Lila Watson

I believe we are in this together…