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Declare your independence

July 4, 2012 — 1 Comment

Today is Independence Day in a nation where dependence on the government and business has become the norm. The founders of our nation never envisioned a society where individuals would trade their unlimited potential for benefits packages and contributions to retirement accounts. The nation that celebrates independence today has lost sight of what independence really is.

As individuals, we have the right to live for something more than a mediocre existence. We don’t have to play the corporate game of “whack-a-mole” in which we are the moles. We don’t have to compromise our convictions to meet the arbitrary goals of people who don’t share our values. We have the right to be independent.

When we function independently, we can express our opinions without fear of retribution. We can exercise our creativity without waiting for “Simon says.” We can make a difference without having to follow the formulaic approach that never really worked back in the good old days.

Being independent means living to make a contribution and a difference. As we celebrate our nation’s independence, we should be grateful for those men and women who believed in something so strongly that they were willing to stand up against tyranny and an oppressive monarchy. They knew that freedom was the greenhouse in which their genius could take root.

On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere saw a situation developing and he took action. He didn’t need permission. He didn’t need to consult with anyone. Some didn’t want to hear his cry because it disturbed their sleep. He made noise anyway.

In a world where the sleeping don’t want to be awakened, we must have the courage to make some noise. Those who are sleeping won’t like it, but those who crave independence will thank you.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” but some value dependence more than freedom. Think about it.

Which do you value more–dependence or freedom? Why?

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  • http://www.facebook.com/meg.renicker Meg Renicker

    Dependence or Freedom?  I have always seen myself as a Freedom lover.  I learned to drive as soon as possible, got a job for my own money, became a woman who followed Women’s Lib.  Now, I have to think that I am a Dependence lover.  I tied myself to people, places and things that kept me a prisoner of payments, rules, laws, responsibility, worry, needing to be like everyone else.  That was my big trap, being like everyone else, conformity. 

    The real true Freedom is allowing life to flow thru the Higher Being whom I choose to call God and work in ways that are completely opposite from that which I have kept myself tied.  This is trying very hard to become a blog article as I try to stick to a tiny answer, but its one of these things that the more I think about it, the more I write, the more I see how Dependent I have always been; not to please my parents, but rather in spite of them and their doubts regarding my abilities.  They thot I should, at 16, get married and have children, and be set for life.  I on the other hand, got a job, got married and became a single working mother, so how far have I gone?

    Thanks for listening.