Nathaniel

Shockey

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July 22, 2009

Will My Freedom Survive This Dark Place?

Every week, I sit down in front of the glow of my computer screen and, within about five minutes, I find myself in a very dark place. Since the commencement of last year’s presidential campaign, nearly every time I’ve taken a moment to contemplate the political landscape I’ve tended to grow weary and irritable.

I think about a nearly $2 trillion budget deficit or $12 trillion in national debt and wonder how long before we own up to the dreadful reality of our current financial situation.

Or I think about a federal government that has already made substantial progress in nationalizing banks and the auto industry, is extremely close to nationalizing health care and has passed a $787 billion stimulus package that appears to have stimulated nothing that even resembles prosperity. This produces even greater despair than financial woes, because I fear that my children may never experience true liberty in America, despite the best efforts of over 10 generations of fallen soldiers.

I think about the way President Obama has gone around and apologized profusely to the rest of the world, the way he has shaken hands with the evil forces of the world as though they were merely misled. And I worry that our once-strong country, which was once a beacon of hope and freedom in a globe overpopulated with dictators and oppression, has stooped to the lowest levels of humanity in order to avoid being seen as arrogant. In doing so, I wonder if we’ve compromised what once was a shining example for one that is considerably more dull.

Just to be clear, while I believe there is evil in the world, that some people are just born bad and others get that way through years of emotional savagery, in no way do I believe our president is among these.

I think he’s doing what he thinks is necessary in order to make Americans happy and show the rest of the world that we’re not all bad. These are noble goals – happiness and bridge-building. Obama is doing what he thinks is right, and if he’s developed a bit of a Messianic complex along the way, he probably has yet to notice.

In watching the miniseries John Adams, the characters of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams wonderfully depicted the philosophical debate between two models of government. Adams believed that people need more government to save them from themselves, and Jefferson believed that a free man can govern himself well enough. I think Obama is a fierce advocate of the former attitude, believing that most people are too corrupt to be trusted with their own money, their health and basically their freedom. Whether he’d admit it is hard to say, but I think it’s what he believes, along with many other people both in and out of government.

When we look around at people who steal billions from hard-working citizens in order to buy mansions and yachts, or politicians who cheat on their wives and families; when we glance at the newspaper and see story after story of murder and occasionally genocide, the belief that most people are just no damn good seems pretty reasonable. Essentially, it’s what I believe.

But I still believe there’s good in the world, and that fighting for the freedom to choose it over evil is among the noblest human struggles.

I’m about to become a father, which may explain why certain things seem to be weighing on me a bit more heavily recently. But at the same time, I’m invigorated with the challenge of teaching my son to discern between good and evil and to choose good. I wonder if I’ll be able to set an example for him of hope and courage in the face of despair and fear.

Upon further reflection, I think this ought to be our goal as people, and to whom it applies, as Americans. We ought to strive on a daily basis to illustrate what freedom is, how hard it is to achieve, how much harder it is to maintain, and how worthwhile it can be.

In the meantime, we must pray for Barack Obama and his administration. Even in sharp disagreement, we must show him respect and support throughout his entire term.

And no matter how dark our plight may seem, we can rest easy knowing that with every new day, we awaken with the freedom to choose what is right.

© 2009 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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