Freedom: Having the power to shape our future

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Thomas Brick
  • 332nd Expeditionary Contracting Flight
BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  Freedom is a hard concept to define at times. 

Many would say freedom is yours at birth, that you are born free with the same rights everyone else has. The creator may have wanted it that way but reality is much different.
Freedom is something you have to want for yourself. It is something you have to define for yourself. 

When we are born we are not free because we are so helpless and unable to do anything for ourselves. We are dependent on our parents for everything. This really isn't freedom because we depend on others for support and are unable to make decisions for ourselves. 

As we begin progressing from adolescence into adults we start to learn what freedom is. It is when we start making decisions for ourselves; but, this freedom is not without price. This freedom comes with the cost of having to live with the consequences of each action we take and each word we utter. 

To me freedom is a very precious and worthwhile state of being. Freedom is not just a label or a right that politicians tout on a stage in front of supporters. It is that state of control over your own destiny. That is why freedom is worth fighting for, worth dying for. Because it is so precious and fragile it must be defended and held tight from those who would take it away. 

Many people take this for granted. They walk through the streets, forests and mountains blissfully unaware of the fortune that our founding fathers have left for us. 

Through the founding father's actions and steadfast persistence a nation was created that was unlike any other nation on Earth at the time or even now. The Republic they created stood for freedom and the right to find your own destiny. 

The result of all this blood, sweat and tears is a nation that allows you to live your life according to your own desires. You can become a doctor, a lawyer, a writer, a scholar or whatever you wish to become. 

I love my freedom, which is why I joined the Air Force. I am happy to defend my freedoms and those of the American citizens. I am also happy to fight so people from other nations can enjoy the same freedoms we do. 

I invite everyone to think about what freedom is, what this powerful word means to them. Think long and hard on it, without bias or prejudice. Freedom is an extraordinary state of being. Cherish it.