In the midst of celebrating America’s 241st birthday, we need to be careful of what we wish for.  Is freedom defined as the right to limit the freedom of others (especially those from places we don’t like)?  There are some who think it should be.  Are we free to grab as much as we can even if it takes away from what other people need to be free?  After all, Franklin Delano Roosevelt…perhaps our greatest President…defined freedom from want (i.e. poverty) as one of the Four Freedoms that every human being should have.  Do we have the freedom to keep other people down and “in their place”?  Being free to do this sounds more like tyranny than freedom.

Living as we wish carries the obligation to let others do the same, as long as people don’t get hurt along the way.  Freedom actually depends on our shared willingness to live and let live.  It relies on our ability to cut through the stereotypes that people (including leaders) use to divide us with paranoia and fear.  The more we buy into their poison, the more likely we are to accept limitations on our freedom in spite of the facts.

When we understand that most people (no matter their culture or race) just want to raise their families in an environment that’s based on getting along instead of on conflict…we can become immune to poisonous ideas that create hysteria instead of reality.  When we realize that life poses common challenges that can be addressed as a community, we see that a group effort is the best way to ensure individual freedom for us all.  We also see that our individual freedoms must be protected as a group, or they will be worn down right before our eyes.

At For The Family, we do our best to free parents from challenging situations through the caring guidance of people who have walked the same path (see how at www.StrongerCommunity.com).  The solutions they find are their own, but depend on a caring community.  When our community truly cares about everyone in it, finding our own freedom is just a matter of time.  Now, that’s a priority we should insist on!       

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