Independence.
Liberty.
Freedom.

We use them interchangeably now, but they do not mean the same thing.

The Declaration was for Independence.

The allegiance we pledge to the flag is for “liberty and justice for all.”

The statue of the woman in Ellis island, welcoming all to our shores: she is the Statue of Liberty.

Somewhere, somehow, like a game of telephone, the concepts of independence and liberty morphed into the idea of “freedom.”

America is not a “free country.” It was never intended as such.

Although we have many freedoms, they are not absolute.

Restrictions on absolute freedom are necessary to preserve liberty and justice for all, to preserve independence, and to preserve democracy.

Your freedom of speech does not give you the right to yell “fire” in a crowded theater, just for fun, because doing so has the potential to cause harm to people in that theater.

Also America is not a “free country” because nothing is free. “Liberty and justice for all” come with a price tag. Thanks

The price is responsibility.

Liberty and justice for all is a trust. It is our responsibility to maintain this trust, to ensure that liberty and justice is given to all and is preserved for all.

This is necessary for independence; otherwise we remain stuck in a polarity: a cycle where one side feels oppressed by the other, where those in power control the fate of those out of power.

Unless we have liberty and justice for all, we have independence for none.

Bonus:

Check out Chase Holfelder’s stirring rendition of The Star Spangled Banner, transposed to minor key.

I’m obsessed with all of his “major to minor” songs, and this one really speaks to the moment.

Set against the backdrop current events, this rendition will make you think differently about “the land of the free and the home of the brave.”