Since the main holiday in July is our (USA) Independence Day, this
got me thinking about why this is celebrated and are we really honoring what
the holiday is supposed to mean? If you ask most people about July 4th, I'm sure
most people will say that we're celebrating our freedom here in America, but I
honestly tend to question the idea that America is actually 'free'. In the
Avenger's movie, Loki describes freedom as "...life's great lie."
where he believed that we (Americans) really didn't understand what freedom was
supposed to be; to him "we were made to be ruled." If we are 'ruled'
properly then we are 'free'. I know that sounds a bit twisted but remember this
did come from Loki the god of mischief. Honestly, I've questioned a lot about
my self-discovery of Asperger's was freeing for me.
I think finally getting an answer to what I'd questioned for many years from my childhood to adulthood is freeing in away that now I know what was going on. The only down side is that when people find out that I have Asperger's, I suddenly lose the freedom I had as a 'normal' person and consequently I'm filed under the 'broken' or 'disabled' category. The idea of freedom seemed to change from one aspect to another when I was diagnosed. Being autistic is tough because 'normal' people feel safer if our rights are very limited so we wouldn't be able to join the regular status of society. So how is this free?
I think finally getting an answer to what I'd questioned for many years from my childhood to adulthood is freeing in away that now I know what was going on. The only down side is that when people find out that I have Asperger's, I suddenly lose the freedom I had as a 'normal' person and consequently I'm filed under the 'broken' or 'disabled' category. The idea of freedom seemed to change from one aspect to another when I was diagnosed. Being autistic is tough because 'normal' people feel safer if our rights are very limited so we wouldn't be able to join the regular status of society. So how is this free?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines
freedom as: "the
quality or state of being free: as the absence of necessity, coercion, or
constraint in choice or action". I find this term rather interesting
because it's calling for an 'absence of necessity, coercion or constraint';
so with that in mind I can't help but look at my own country and wonder
how free are we? Or...how free do you want to be? We have rules, guidelines, morals that help shape our view of things that are right and wrong. The quandary is clashing of freedoms; for example, people have the right to fly a confederate flag, but many others find this offensive and think the flag should be banned. Who's right? Who's freedom is lost? This is just a very small sample of the complexities of freedom and where one's freedom can get in the way of another.
I realize this is quite a debatable topic because of the interior details that can redefine what freedom is. I know that freedom for some countries is different than others. Some actually have more freedom than we here in the United States. In the bigger picture, we need to realize that yes we have free-will to decide what we want or what we believe, but what if we were all slaves to something that we hear about all the time and we know what it is; but we do nothing to fix it the source would be...sin. We might be free, but we are still locked up in sin. "Life's great lie..." or is it? Jesus is real freedom. Without Christ, we will also be prisoners. If you believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord then you 'shall be set free'! I realize that might be a big step and others might be thinking that this whole Jesus thing is dumb, but at least you have the free-will to make that decision all on your own and no one can take that away!
Song of Inspiration [Check it out on iTunes or Android!]:
Song: "God Bless America"
Composer: Irving Berlin
Artist: Sandi Patty
Album: Hymns of Faith - Songs of Inspiration
Here is the video lyrics to the selected song:
I realize this is quite a debatable topic because of the interior details that can redefine what freedom is. I know that freedom for some countries is different than others. Some actually have more freedom than we here in the United States. In the bigger picture, we need to realize that yes we have free-will to decide what we want or what we believe, but what if we were all slaves to something that we hear about all the time and we know what it is; but we do nothing to fix it the source would be...sin. We might be free, but we are still locked up in sin. "Life's great lie..." or is it? Jesus is real freedom. Without Christ, we will also be prisoners. If you believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord then you 'shall be set free'! I realize that might be a big step and others might be thinking that this whole Jesus thing is dumb, but at least you have the free-will to make that decision all on your own and no one can take that away!
Song of Inspiration [Check it out on iTunes or Android!]:
Song: "God Bless America"
Composer: Irving Berlin
Artist: Sandi Patty
Album: Hymns of Faith - Songs of Inspiration
Here is the video lyrics to the selected song:
