We have freedom to succeed

So often, in our youthful days, we look forward to being free - free from the restraints of our parents; free from the constant barrage of classroom assignments; free from the taunts of our classmates.

Real freedom, however, is not freedom from something, but freedom for something.

When our ancestors came to this New World, many came for religious freedom, or freedom to have choices about their lives. In an environment of freedom, people can live out their lives and achieve many of their highest goals. They are able to utilize their ingenuity and creativity as they find joy in what they do, and at the same time, be of service to others.

The free market of ideas, goods, and services leads to greater freedom. It has been pointed out that "Bill Gates of Microsoft did not become a billionaire by stealing people's money, looting their possessions, taxing them and secreting money away in Switzerland, or using public funds to build himself mansions. No one had to buy Gates' products or invest in his company. He became the world's richest man by providing people with computer software that they wanted, and that made easier their life or work." He lives here in America where that kind of freedom is possible and even encouraged.

The framers of our Constitution were intelligent persons who chose freedom above their own safety.

The opening words of the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, declare, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."

May we always demand these Rights not only for ourselves, but also for others. And may we maintain the atmosphere of freedom so that our descendants will be able to sing,
"Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom's song.
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong."