What Does Freedom Mean To You?

What does freedom mean to you? In the spirit of July 4th and us believing in the freedom to be happy, we would like us to take a moment to ask ourselves this question. To quote the famed Neurologist Vicktor Emil Frankl, “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” With all the unrest and chaos in the world right now, it’s more important than ever to choose our response wisely and with freedom without giving in to the propaganda machines.

For me, freedom means the ability to think, speak, worship, make health choices, choose a career and other decisions for myself with minimal, if any, governmental interference. That was the basis how the founders set up our republic.

Another aspect of freedom is having the choice of what kind of thoughts and behavioral patterns you let take up space in your brain. Do you consciously choose positive thoughts or do you give in to every curve ball life throws at you? Do you give in to problems, negative events, fear, worry, stress and low self-esteem or do you actively and consciously make a choice to get the learning and choose how you will react, choose joy, cheerfulness and happiness? Think about it! Which one will add value to your life! When we take the liberty to decide what rents space in our mind, we truly make our life and those around us happier, joyful and better. As Albert Camus wisely said, “Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.”

Think about it. What does freedom really mean to you? How can we all expand our freedoms to be more inclusive and more empathic? To create community? To work harder for everyone? To create a sense of acceptance? To get more kind and compassionate? To ensure that we clearly see the values that our nation was founded on take effect in our current environment? Think about it & have an inspiring 4th!