She’s hot. She holds a flame to which no one comes close. Moreover, she seems metallic, made of pure copper hung on a framework of steel - save for that torch’s flame, which is coated in gold leaf. She is also green, which currently seems to count as the hippest adjective in colloquial conversation.
But too, the gifted statue has served as the first glimpse of America for millions of immigrants... inspiring those who truly comprehend that freedom comes at a cost. Remember it is she who stood firm while her neighboring twin towers collapsed.
Tell me: what does liberty mean?
lib⋅er⋅ty [lib-er-tee] –noun, plural -ties.
1. freedom from arbitrary or despotic government or control.
2. freedom from external or foreign rule; independence.
3. freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering conditions, etc.
There is little doubt the huddled masses yearn to breathe free. Free as citizens. Freedom in our soul. The question is what does freedom actually mean. Are we free from despotic control? Free from interference and obligation?
According to our greatly admired, 16th President... “We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing. With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his labor; while with others, the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men's labor. Here are two, not only different, but incompatible things, called by the same name - liberty.”
Which man is truly free: the one who may do as he pleases with the product of his labor? Or the one who believes he can do as he pleases with the labor of other men?
As Independence Day approaches, perhaps we should look at the liberty the celebration commemorates: our independence from the perceived overextending law and obligations, arbitrarily placed upon us by the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is thus more than fireworks... more than picnics and parades... more than baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet. (Actually, since the government now controls GM’s top-selling brand, perhaps the 4th of July is more about Chevy than previously fathomed.)
It is a day to celebrate the freedom of control, interference, obligation, restriction, and hampering conditions arbitrarily placed upon us. I pray our current government - especially those who continue to contemplate further obligations - understand the meaning of the day.
AR
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1 comment:
When our college choir did this number in concert, I could never sing these words without getting a big lump in my throat. That is still true. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breath free; The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, Tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
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