Saturday, June 17, 2006
Sunday, June 11, 2006
My 18th Birthday
Yesterday (June 10th) was my 18th birthday! Momma, Daddy, Michael, and Abby brought me breakfast in bed, and Daddy gave me a gold James Avery cross ring. Then I went to work and at lunch we (daddy and me) went out to eat. When I got back to work I went out on the floor and started helping a customer that was standing right by the table in the store; and I heard somebody say "Oh, she found it!" I thought "found what?" then I looked at the table and it had presents, flowers and a cake on it!! and I was standing right by it for a full five minutes before I even saw it!
Thursday, June 08, 2006
How I Demonstrate My Freedom
Responsibility is the foundation of freedom. There can be no freedom outside the boundaries of the law. The word “free” is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as “…existing under a government that does not impose arbitrary restrictions on the right to speak, assemble, petition, vote, etc.” Having freedom does not mean that we do not have to obey authorities. Our founding fathers were willing to put authorities over themselves because they knew that we can only be truly free if we have laws in place to check man’s sinful nature. Therefore we can enjoy freedom only to the extent that we are willing to exercise civil responsibility, social responsibility, and personal responsibility within the boundaries of the Constitution.
Civil responsibility relates to those freedoms that are enumerated in the Bill of Rights such as the freedom to defend your country, and the freedom to vote. The men who signed the Declaration of Independence pledged their “….Lives, …Fortune, and ….Sacred Honor” for the support of the young country and each other. Likewise the men and women of our armed forces pledge their service to their nation. Without them our country would cease to exist. Protecting our country is a very important part of our civil responsibility. However, those of us who are not defending our country in the military also have a responsibility to protect our freedom. We can do this because we are free to vote for the candidate whom we personally believe will provide the leadership and make the decisions that will preserve our freedom. Assuming the responsibility to vote, and to defend our country are ways that we show civil responsibility.
Social responsibility is another important part of keeping and demonstrating our freedom. Social responsibilities would be those that we have to the community. The laws of America do not tell us how to act in all situations; this is where we are free to make our own decisions. We have a responsibility to evaluate with our own conscience what we should do in these areas. Helping people who can’t help themselves, such as children and elderly people would be demonstrating our social responsibilities. This can be done through churches, various charities or community organizations as well as on a personal basis. If everyone took these social responsibilities seriously then perhaps we wouldn’t have to depend entirely on the government to meet these needs. A final way that we demonstrate our freedom is in the area of personal responsibility. Walter Williams, a journalist, said in his article The Most “Human” Right of All: “….no society can guarantee freedom to it citizens unless it respects some notion of personal property.” Personal property includes the money we earn. In the past, individuals were responsible to pay for and oversee their children’s education, and make sure that they had money to retire on. Recently however we have been allowing the government to take over some of these responsibilities. We should be good stewards of our property so that we will be financially responsible for our children’s education and for our own retirement rather than expecting the government to provide for us in these areas.
In America we enjoy a large amount of freedom in many areas of life. As citizens of this great country, we need to educate ourselves to know what our freedoms are, where they come from, and why they are valuable, so that we can appreciate and protect them properly. By being more responsible in the personal, social, and civic arenas, we will not only demonstrate, but also help preserve our freedom, because if we don’t use the gifts God gives us, we will lose them.
Social responsibility is another important part of keeping and demonstrating our freedom. Social responsibilities would be those that we have to the community. The laws of America do not tell us how to act in all situations; this is where we are free to make our own decisions. We have a responsibility to evaluate with our own conscience what we should do in these areas. Helping people who can’t help themselves, such as children and elderly people would be demonstrating our social responsibilities. This can be done through churches, various charities or community organizations as well as on a personal basis. If everyone took these social responsibilities seriously then perhaps we wouldn’t have to depend entirely on the government to meet these needs. A final way that we demonstrate our freedom is in the area of personal responsibility. Walter Williams, a journalist, said in his article The Most “Human” Right of All: “….no society can guarantee freedom to it citizens unless it respects some notion of personal property.” Personal property includes the money we earn. In the past, individuals were responsible to pay for and oversee their children’s education, and make sure that they had money to retire on. Recently however we have been allowing the government to take over some of these responsibilities. We should be good stewards of our property so that we will be financially responsible for our children’s education and for our own retirement rather than expecting the government to provide for us in these areas.
In America we enjoy a large amount of freedom in many areas of life. As citizens of this great country, we need to educate ourselves to know what our freedoms are, where they come from, and why they are valuable, so that we can appreciate and protect them properly. By being more responsible in the personal, social, and civic arenas, we will not only demonstrate, but also help preserve our freedom, because if we don’t use the gifts God gives us, we will lose them.
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