It's the 4th of July weekend here in the States and I thought I would take time to talk about Freedom. There
are all kinds of Freedom... There's the Freedom we enjoy here in the USA and celebrate on the 4th of July for example.
Let's talk about that Freedom for a minute and then another Freedom, open to all of us...
No matter what Country or part of the World we live in, we all have the same desires and the same kinds of dreams for
ourselves and our families. We want the same kinds of things.
Whether it's dreaming of being able to do the things we want or dreaming of just having a better life. We all
dream alike.
I'm not going to sit here and say the USA is the best country in the World, but we do seem to be doing something right.
This country was founded on principles that everyone is created equal, that no one is better than anyone
else, as far as the Government and the law are concerned.
But we are people, just like people everywhere. We don't all think alike, or act alike. And we don't
all treat people with the same equality, the way the law is supposed to.
Let's face it, US citizens are human, just like everyone else. And we all make mistakes. But we have something much of
the World doesn't.
We have the freedom:
- To make those mistakes.
- To work where we want.
- To raise our families the way we want.
- To reach for something above us.
- To say what we want.
- To pursue happiness.
No person is telling us we can't do this or say that. If some of us feel the Government is wrong on something,
we can say so, loudly if we so choose.
Yes, there are laws that govern us, as there are in all countries, but those laws are based on trying to make sure people
are treated equally and fairly. They don't always work the way we'd like them to. But they work pretty well, for the most
part.
Personally, as I look around the World and at all the Conflicts and Wars and Hatred, I can see that
much of it is based on what Religion someone has or doesn't have. And I think there's a lesson to be learned by one of the
most important parts of the US Model.
Religious Freedom...
No one Religion is above any other. There is NO State Religion. In fact, we go overboard sometimes to make sure
no one's Religion is placed above anyone else's.
Down my street may be people who are Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or people with no Religion at
all. Does that hurt me? Does it make me angry, or fearful that someone will challenge my beliefs?
No, it doesn't... I respect my neighbors right to believe as they will, as they respect my beliefs.
I am strong in my Faith... But no one should be forced to believe the way I do or you do, for that matter.
In the United States of America, we all live side by side and we feel that one person's beliefs are theirs and not something
we should get in the way of.
Isn't it better to Show others how wonderful it is to believe as you do than to point a gun and stay "My Way
is Right and yours is Wrong?"
Someone once said, "Why can't we all just get along?"
To that, I add, "Why can't the Religions of the World just get along?"
Why must they fight and kill, all to force someone to believe the way they do?
Why can't certain parts of the World be shared equally between peoples of different faiths?
Most, if not all, the Great Religions of the World believe in peace and love, and preach that message. Most of the Religions
of the World trace back to the same God, the same teachings. How can we sit in judgment over the way someone else worships
that God, or what name they give Him?
It is not our place to Judge.
It is not our place to tell someone, they are wrong and we are right.
Who are we to Judge?
- Freedom to Worship as we please.
- Freedom to say what we want.
- Freedom to make a better life.
- Freedom to be all that we can be.
- Freedom to Live.
That's what the Freedom of the United States of America Means to me.
But there is another Freedom...
It's not the Freedom of any one Country or State.
It's the FREEDOM we all have, here on the World Wide Web.
Think about it...
Here on the Web, we can be anything we want to be. We can reach for our dreams without someone looking
over our shoulder telling us we can't.
I have no idea what part of the World you live in, or what name you call God, even if you even believe in God.
I don't know if you live in a Mansion, a House, an Apartment, a Shack or Hut in the jungle. All I know,
all anyone online knows of you or me, is what we say and what we do online. There is no discrimination because of the color
of your skin, or where and how or if you pray.
Here on the World Wide Web, we are ALL EQUAL.
The truest Freedom in the World is right here, Online... And the only thing that sets you apart or a head of others,
is what you say, and what you do, not because of where you are or how you pray.
So, where ever in the World you are, let's join hands and Celebrate Freedom this 4th of July weekend... The Freedom
we in the USA have, and the Freedom we all have on the World Wide Web...
