Liberty

What does liberty mean today? It is a word that has stuck with me over the past few weeks. It means different things for different people. Many have good feelings when the word is mentioned and other have disdain for one reason or another but it is something that could help shape one's own life. People in this country should have the opportunity to shape their life but some feel that that opportunity is only for select few and not others. That is where equality comes in to the picture.

How do liberty and equality work together?

They are different sides of the same coin. Meaning that we are all equal as human beings with the ability to form our own conclusions on our individual progression in life. We do not have the same abilities but only the decision to harness the abilities we are best at. You could look at it as we are created equal by our creator as Jefferson said but this also gives us rights to pursue whatever we want in life. If we take advantage of these rights then liberty will help take equality to another level.

Is that possible today?

It is through the liberties we still have and most people don't realize. The equal rights help liberties to function but today more and more liberties are taken and most in the name of equality. Equality of how people finish will take liberties away today more than ever. Examples could be certain taxes, regulations, laws, quotas and other forms of infringement that the government has become so known for. We have some of the same people taking away liberties of others that would never give up any of their own. On that principle alone people should want to limit what liberties are taken away.

Today it is more difficult than ever to start a business. It is difficult to trust where your money goes. It is difficult to be secure in a job. It is difficult to stay in a home. It is difficult to even find out what the rules are so they aren't broken. Whatever it is people want to have the opportunity to succeed and it is there but they need to have the drive to get it.

Liberty is only good if we have the rights to practice it. Government is needed in some capacity but nothing is ever done in small quantities and that can't be good. A bill can't be simple so people understand it. It has to have hundreds of pages most of which have some form of infringements that we never find out about until it is in our face. Is that right? Whether you are a Democrat or Republican it shouldn't matter. Liberties are being taken away all the time and our country is becoming less significant as our diminished capacity to practice these liberties grows.

It should go back to the communities who help each other understand what rights we have. People withdrawn from one another will only help federal government to grow. What good is that for anyone. I live in a community that has found it difficult to function because people are withdrawn from one another. People divided only helps politicians to take our liberties away. It's not a rich vs poor thing or a right vs left thing.

Liberty means power and that is the first thing that comes to mind when hearing that word. What does it mean to you?