A few years ago there was a short patriotic address delivered on the 4th of July.
The speaker talked about our heritage of freedom, how precious it is, and how jealously we ought to guard it. The people applauded when he was through.
Suddenly as the applause died away, a voice spoke from the crowd: “Why don’t you tell them the whole truth?” Startled, everyone looked around. The words had come from a young man in a tweed jacket with untidy hair and angry eyes. He might have been a college student, poet, Peace Corps worker, almost anything.
“Why don’t you tell them that freedom is the most dangerous gift anyone can receive? Why don’t you tell them that it’s a two-edged sword that will destroy us unless we learn how to use it and soon. Why don’t you make them see that we face a greater challenge than our ancestors ever did? They only had to fight for freedom. WE HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT”
Thanks to Dr. Gilbert Bowen and Arthur Gordon for this story.
What do YOU think was the point of what the young man was saying about living with freedom?
Why is living with freedom such a difficult task?
