As my readers know from other articles I have written and articles written about me, I grew up during the Great Depression of the thirties, on a farm in Northeast Georgia, until I was 17 years old, when I graduated from High School and moved to Atlanta.
Intellectually, I knew little about the meaning of Freedon, but a way of life I took for granted. My parents and grandparents were hard working, self-sustaining, responsible individuals. During the first 17 years of my life, I never saw a policeman, marshall, sheriff, nor FBI man. Everyone lived their lives, taking care of their business, minding their business, without the need for any intervention from government armed personnel.
Without being formally taught, everyone understood it was the responsibility of individuals to respect the property and boundary lines of others. As a reminder, posted on the fence of many farm dividing lines were signs which said, “No Trespassing.” Everyone understood not to cross boundary lines without permission of the owner.
Everyone owned guns, everyone had dogs that barked if a stranger approached the property. No one locked doors as it was understood if one trespassed or broke into property and attempted to steal or rob, they might be shot. In my experience those first 17 years, I knew of no one who was ever robbed or shot.
As I recall, all the farms adjoining ours were owned by family. Uncles and cousins and those related in some capacity. As children we were free to roam and go where we chose without any interference. Therefore a feeling of freedom was a way of life.
However, we listened to the radio and subscribed to newspapers and read about crimes, robbers and looters in other places. The stories about Bonnie and Clyde, Al Capone and Dillinger. The infamous bank robber, Dillinger, and the story of his life has just been released in a movie.
Outlaws, criminals and moonshiners were always trying to hide from “G-men.” I do recall Dillinger saying after the G-men caught him, “My day has not gone very well so far.”
What I learned about the outside world was from reading and in school. I learned about other countries, political governments, and different ways of life from history, civics and the current events classes. I was taught ours was a government of the people, by the people and for the people, and the Revolutionary war was fought for Freedom, from the oppression of British rule.
I was taught Freedom was something fought and paid for by many who lost their lives in the Revolutionary war. And because of this, Freedom was something I was entitled to.
It was several years later I discovered, I really did not know much about Freedom and the role of political governments as I have described in other articles. I set out on a journey to learn about Freedom and political governments.
The real meaning of Freedom and the role of political governments is not taught in schools. Not only did I discover my ignorance about it, I now realize not many have an understanding of the real meaning. And one does not actually know the true meaning of Freedom until they are taught it. I had to experience being held hostage by a foreign government, to motivate me to learn its meaning.
It’s my firm belief that one of the main, underlying causes of the current crisis we are in in this country is ignorance about the real meaning of Freedom. We are now living in an era of several generations who have never been taught the meaning of Freedom.
And as Dr. Phil says, we can’t change that which we do not acknowledge. And I say, how can we acknowledge that which we do not understand?
So here we are on the 4th of July, in the twenty-first century, living in a time when the majority of citizens in this country are clamouring for more and more political government to take care of their wants and needs, with some nebulous idea they can have that and freedom to boot. Political government is the antithesis of individual Freedom and personal property Rights. They are diametrically opposing forces and philosophies.
Knowing about Freedom is a learned way of life. In this country, over half the budget in the 50 states goes for schools. Thousands of tax-funded schools. These are government, socialist schools and they definitely do not teach about Freedom. So where is one going to learn about Freedom? I maintain it’s a subject which must be taught. If it’s not taught in the thousands of government schools in this country, where is a person going to learn about it?
Freedom is not something one can receive through a purple pill or immunization. To understand it one must be taught it from some source. The question is, where does one learn about its meaning? Where are there any schools that teach it? After my pursuit to learn about Freedom and the role of political governments, I attended a school that taught it, which is no longer in existence.
I know of one school, Freedom Mountain Academy, that teaches the Philosophy of Freedom, but that is the only one I know of. I think there’s an on-line course one can take to learn about Freedom. But how many know about it, and how many bother to take it?
As I have stated many times, Freedom is self-responsibility and self-control. Conversely, there’s much to learn to acquire that, including history, knowledge about the different forms of political governments, and economics. Some basic understanding of economics must be learned in order to practice Freedom as a way of life. It is essential that one learns about property Rights and boundary lines.
How many people really understand property Rights, when most purchase a house and make payments and think they own it? When in fact they do not own it, even if it’s completely paid for, they only possess it. And possession does not constitute ownership.
Having to obtain permission from another party to do anything with property they assume they own, is simply a share-cropping situation with conditions.
Therefore learning about ownership is essential to understanding Freedom. And most are under false illusions about ownership.
Today, I was reading 467,000 jobs were lost last month. Also 787 billion in so-called stimulous package. Plus 9.5 unemployment. Also in the news, about one of the wealthist states in the union, California, is broke. Then read where those politicians in Washington had awarded seven million for a monkey exhibit, that had no monkeys. And on and on infinitum, stories of the conditions in this country. Sad tales of woe and bad news about conditions we face.
The crisis we face, can be boiled down to one simple fact: It’s Freedom or bondage. And Freedom can only be attained and sustained when it’s understood. Currently only a few understand its true meaning. And as I see it, few have interest in taking the time and effort to learn its true meaning. It’s just my opinion and observation. I could be sincerely wrong.
From where I sit, we are a nation of ignorance about Freedom and ownership of property Rights. The irony is, billions of hard earned tax dollars are squandered on schools, and yet we wind up in this crisis, ignorant about Freedom, and how we got to this state of crisis.
I’m reminded of a story I heard about a sentry on duty during the Korean war. He was patrolling a hill when he heard a rustling in the trees below. He cocked his gun, and yelled out, “Tell me who you is, before I come down and find out who you wuz.”
In a nutshell, we need to discover who we is, before we wind up wondering who we wuz!!! How are we going to do that? For starters, we can admit our ignorance about exactly what Freedom is, and decide individually to learn its true meaning. Information is available to anyone who desires it.
Henry David Thoreau said, “That government is best which governs the least.”
Let Freedom Ring
JUST ME AC
Email: annecleveland@bellsouth.net
One Comment
I wonder how much can be learned about freedom from others, and how much must be lived in order to be learned.