For many, Independence Day passed by quickly. It was a full day for many with outdoor barbeques, family gatherings, and the shared stories that family gatherings always generate. That in and of itself gave value to the day and momentarily collectively brought back memories of those on the other side of eternity that contributed much to our lives.
Some people avoided the misery of the heat by seeking some level of coolness in swimming pools. Others had the good sense to stay indoors in airconditioned comfort. In our neighborhood, the strong of heart played golf. There was a steady stream of golf carts that made their way past the back of our home yesterday.
Of course, one of the highlights many associate with the 4th of July is a display of fireworks under the cloak of darkness. I had a flashback to being a little kid. Every year our family drove to the parking lot at the coliseum in Odessa to watch the fireworks display. That seems so long ago, that at best, it is both a pleasant and distant memory.
When it comes to freedom, most of us long to be free. Let me preface my next comment by acknowledging upfront, that I'm mixing apples and oranges, but on a feeling level what I'm sharing is true for me. It may be true for you as well.
Freedom – how does it feel to forfeit freedom even temporarily? How does it feel to forfeit freedom – even when reportedly it is for your own good?
It was almost with a sense of disbelief, I watched at how quickly, in the face of a looming pandemic, our government had the power to shut down schools, close businesses, close churches, close daycare centers, eliminate recreational activities from your calendar, close places to eat and eliminate things to do along with prohibiting any gatherings including more than 10 people. In the space of just a day or two, it was a done deal.
I'm not suggesting that the action wasn't justified or even needed, but the feelings associated to that experience weren't feel-good experiences. At least that is true of my perception. Overnight we became aware of just how quickly governmental officials at the local, county, state and national level became health experts and went at lengths to protect us from ourselves.
Freedom – How does it feel not to have it or to find oneself in harm's way to defend it or attain it? Perhaps, because I have never been in war or in a set of circumstances that was potentially life-threatening, I can't fully comprehend the full range of emotions that war orchestrates. I know that my dad never fully set aside the ghosts of the past from his experience of combat in World War II.
What is freedom? How would you define it? At some level, isn't freedom an experience that expresses itself through unlimited opportunity? I don't know anyone who doesn't desire freedom.
I remember talking with a young man several years ago who quit his job because he found it too confining. It was the first job he found after getting his graduate degree. He discovered he was not suited for an 8:00-to-5:00 office job where he had to spend the totality of his day indoors. Seriously, that took an inordinate amount of courage on his part.
He didn't mention student loans, or the cost associated to getting his MBA, but those things paled in contrast to the thought of spending the next forever in a small office with three other men who may have been equally dissatisfied with the prison-like-sentence associated to their work.
I shared his story with another friend who retired from the U.S. Army at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Consequently, he had paid the price of admission and knew want he wanted. Earning his MBA on the heels of a prestigious military career, he set his sights on something completely different.
In discussing his post career plans for the next chapter of his life with his college professor at the University he attended, he talked about doing something completely different going forward. The college professor seemed a little taken back by his plan. Wasn't coloring outside the lines a little risky?
My friend was resolute in his determination to be free from the shackles of preconceived expectation by giving himself permission to follow his dreams and to forge his own way ahead with a sense of freedom.
Apparently, my friend's courage and boldness made an impact on his college professor. At graduation, the professor announced to the graduation class that a conversation with one of his students had impacted his life. As a result, he was resigning his position at the University and moving to the Netherlands, his country of origin, in order to follow his dreams and do life differently.
All My Best!
Don
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