Independence Day Thoughts 2020.

Hello Friends! Tonight’s feature image is titled “Eisenhower Quote & Fireworks” and is available for purchase by the instructions at the bottom of the article.

Today was Interdependence Day in the United States. The day has been filled picnics and friends gathering. Traditions of celebration. I spent the day watching the military parade with my dad who is a former marine and Vietnam veteran. Dad isn’t really a fan of war as much as he is a connoisseur of the machines. With the sound off and his eyes fixed on the screen he gave his own account if each aircraft as they passed over. He knows all the stats and capabilities. A few he had actually flown in. With his voice cracking he recounted the day he witnessed two helicopters get too close during a training exercise and go down with 14 of his fellow marines on board. The next plane to fly over was one that a childhood friend of his had piloted and gotten in trouble for a low altitude flyover of their hometown.

That’s when the Eisenhower quote in tonight’s feature image came to mind. The pilot had taken a risk as an expression of his freedom. As I began to contemplate the words I thought of my own life experiences. I have never served in the armed forces but I have expressed my freedom with risks. Leaping into the lake from 60 foot high cliffs is an example that actually came up in a recent conversation. Strapping on a large knife and exploring the forest alone at the age of 11 years. There’s are bears and venomous snakes in the area. Any number of accidents could have happened. But without those risks I could not have become the person that I am today. I would have never developed my love of nature or learned to sit quietly and think about the deep questions. The only way that could have happened was being allowed to have the freedom to take the risks.

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Happy Independence Day!

The 4th of July is American Independence Day. It’s not just a celebration of history. It’s a celebration of the right to self governance. The right to make wrong choices and be responsible for the outcome. Our government is not the giver of rights. They are human rights that exists because people exist. Our “leaders” are our servants not our superiors. (In theory anyway.) Of course once politcs becomes involved things get muddled. Our nation was born in debate and has continued to be in debate ever since. The idea was that our government is the result of a contract between the citizens and as such has no power or authority of its own. But I digress and it’s not my intention to debate political stuff on my blog.

So, it’s time to get to point. Independence Day. We’re often guilty of the idea that it’s only about independence from mother Europe (and by extension the other places where our ancestors originated) but that’s an age old error. The most important thing the independence of the individual. I blog a lot about peaceful moments and personal growth. That’s only possible through personal independence. Personal independence is right and like all rights comes with personal responsibility. Again leaving politics aside , we often find ourselves in times of personal desperation. For some of us it’s social anxiety, for some of us it’s financial crisis and yet for some it’s something else. There’s as many reasons for “personal oppression” as there are individuals on earth. For many of us, we have forged our own chains. They’re made from self doubt and poorly made choices. Let me share something with you. You hold the keys to your own chains. The moment you decide to remove them is your first taste of freedom. It isn’t going to be easy. You’ll be at war with yourself and it will definitely take more than one battle to be completely free. But, if you’re committed to personal independence then it’s a fight worth fighting. I haven’t completely freed myself yet. But every day I gain ground. Every picture I take, every thought I share with you and every dream I have is another volley in my war for personal independence. I know that you can have this too as long as you don’t give up. Whatever chains that are binding you to today let me encourage you to begin to grind them away. Don’t give up. Keep up with it and soon they will be broken. As I celebrate American Independence Day today let me also wish you a happy Personal independence Day! I’m looking forward to seeing your fireworks soon.