Happy Fourth of July! Freedom is ours

Summer is here. Time to fire up the barbeque, gather with family and friends, soak up some sun, and celebrate the Fourth of July! Sure, we all know the history behind this National Day commemorating our independence from British sovereignty, but what are we really celebrating?

We are celebrating our inheritance of a precious gift- freedom. We are so thoroughly conditioned to understand freedom as our natural right, it’s difficult to imagine what life would be like under different circumstances.

Consumed by the details we face each day in the challenge of balancing our work and personal lives, we might forget to be grateful for the freedom woven into the fabric of our lives.

From things as simple as the music we listen to or the clothes we wear to bigger ideas like our political persuasions or the values we instill in our children, freedom is ours.

We are not subject to extreme media censorship, wherein our exposure to information channels and our perceptions of the world are narrowly shaped by a central influence. We are free to seek any amount and variety of news or entertainment media that suits us.

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