Tomorrow is the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
That declaration was a promise that government belongs to the people. For the first time, freedom was not handed to people with the blessing of a throne or a king. The authority of this government was not something granted to the citizens. It was granted upward from the citizens.
As we celebrate, it is easy to concentrate on the songs, the speeches, the get togethers, and the fireworks. Yes, we all should celebrate, but we also need to keep in mind that freedom is as much a responsibility as it is a gift to each of us.
Two hundred and fifty years have made our country more accepting and more complacent. Some of the very things we accept as “just the way things are” are the very things the founders of this country were fighting against.
There is a sacred trust we place in every public official who comes into office.
Often, that trust is given without holding officials to the accountability that freedom requires. We elect people, appoint people, hire people, and place people in positions of authority, but that authority was never meant to stand above the citizens. It was meant to answer to them.
That is where we sometimes lose sight of the promise.
Freedom is not only weakened by tyrants. It can also be weakened by habit. By silence. By assuming that because something is written into law, it must be right. By assuming that because a regulation exists, it must serve the people. By assuming that because an official says something, the public should simply accept it.
But acceptance is not the same as liberty.
Somewhere along the way, too many people were taught that questioning government is disrespectful. That asking for records is causing trouble. That challenging a policy is being negative. That expecting answers from public officials is somehow an attack.
None of those things are wrong.
That is citizenship.
The founders did not risk everything so future generations could quietly accept whatever government handed them. They did not challenge a king so that local officials, agencies, boards, councils, and offices could become untouchable in their own communities.
We have a duty to pay attention. To read the agenda. To ask where the money went. To question why decisions are made behind closed doors. To speak up when one person is favored and another is forgotten. To remember that laws and regulations are supposed to protect people, not trap them beneath systems they no longer control.
Freedom is diluted by acceptance.
Not overnight. Not in one dramatic moment. It happens slowly, when citizens stop believing their voice matters. When people decide it is easier to stay quiet than to be labeled difficult. When communities forget that government is not something separate from them.
Tomorrow, as we celebrate our country’s birthday, take some time to contemplate what your freedom means to you.
Our country is not perfect. It was never meant to be. It was meant to be a more perfect union, with the ability to grow and change, guided by the people.
Comfortable citizenship has slowly eroded our freedoms. It has not been overt in most cases. It has been subtle. This tax here, this fee there, this ordinance, that law. As long as we are comfortable, right?
I am 51 years old, and I can tell you this country, our towns, and our rural areas have changed drastically. There is not one single thing to point to, because it feels like a completely different world.
Small town America is being eroded. The news cannot be trusted. People are wildly complacent in favor of not rocking the boat. Rural areas are being swallowed up. Box chains have wiped out many small businesses.
It is changing at such a rapid rate that sometimes I wonder how long we will have much freedom left.
Many of the drastic changes are not coming from the national level. They are coming from county planning, magistrates, judge executives, councils, committees, boards, and agencies. They all have their own regulations, rules, and decisions that shape the lives of the people.
I can tell you, it is time to get involved.
Make this 250th birthday a turning point for you. Start researching. Start asking questions. Make your opinions and your voice heard. Speak out for what you believe. Make your opinion as loud as it needs to be.
Otherwise, what might happen in another 30 years?
Freedom is not something truly common in this world. It was not common when this country was founded, and it is not common today. Something this precious comes at the cost of nurturing it, protecting it, and not blindly trusting that others will nurture it for you.
Whisper One Out.
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