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Author: Byron Pulsifer, © 2012
It has been an especially challenging time for people's freedom in some notable spots across the globe. Over the last few months, it seems that more than one country has been involved in the fight for freedom against their long time rulers. Some of these countries appeared to triumph with few human costs while others are still struggling with no outside aid of any kind and a daily mounting death toil.
As we all know from our own history, freedom to set your own course, to establish the rule and freedom of its people can come at perilous costs in human life, terrible lasting injuries and a future monetary burden to rebuild.
The most recent events in Syria make me shudder with empathy because its people have literally thrown themselves into the quest for freedom on a daily or weekly basis with devastatingly costly consequences for their own lives. And, it also appears that the people of Syria have to face their armed forces alone without any assistance like that given to the people of Libya by NATO air forces.
The current quest for freedom is similar to our own quest for freedom during the 1800s. In Canada, we saw the fight between the French and the English for supremacy as well as the fight against our now American neighbors. United States engaged in a bitter Civil War that tore that country apart for years. And, we all know about the conflicts in Europe during WWI and WWII as well as the war in the Pacific with the Japanese. Korea was yet another conflict in the 1950s that still sees occasional conflict between the North and the South. Viet Nam followed in the mid 1960s.
Were all of these conflicts, rebellions, civil wars and wars meant to promote freedom, to support freedom, to find freedom? Here are words of wisdom that seems to me to tell the story of the quest for freedom.
"Control your own destiny or someone else will."
Jack Welch
For too many years, many people in many countries have given control over their destiny to dictators, military rulers, or tyrants often without any consent or any ability to say otherwise. And, likewise, far too many of us have given control of our lives to employers, friends, or families. In some cases, it is also true that control has been given over to a much more pervasive influence and that is what we see and read as that which so calls represents success.
Each one of us is responsible for our own control, our own destiny. Excuses, procrastination are also conditions of allowing control away from our own intentions, desires and dreams. Isn't it about time that we all stand as individuals ready to fight for our own personal freedom to do as we dream, to that which makes us happy deep down and not some other person's vision telling what should make us happy.
It has been an especially challenging time for people's freedom in some notable spots across the globe. Over the last few months, it seems that more than one country has been involved in the fight for freedom against their long time rulers. Some of these countries appeared to triumph with few human costs while others are still struggling with no outside aid of any kind and a daily mounting death toil.
As we all know from our own history, freedom to set your own course, to establish the rule and freedom of its people can come at perilous costs in human life, terrible lasting injuries and a future monetary burden to rebuild.
The most recent events in Syria make me shudder with empathy because its people have literally thrown themselves into the quest for freedom on a daily or weekly basis with devastatingly costly consequences for their own lives. And, it also appears that the people of Syria have to face their armed forces alone without any assistance like that given to the people of Libya by NATO air forces.
The current quest for freedom is similar to our own quest for freedom during the 1800s. In Canada, we saw the fight between the French and the English for supremacy as well as the fight against our now American neighbors. United States engaged in a bitter Civil War that tore that country apart for years. And, we all know about the conflicts in Europe during WWI and WWII as well as the war in the Pacific with the Japanese. Korea was yet another conflict in the 1950s that still sees occasional conflict between the North and the South. Viet Nam followed in the mid 1960s.
Were all of these conflicts, rebellions, civil wars and wars meant to promote freedom, to support freedom, to find freedom? Here are words of wisdom that seems to me to tell the story of the quest for freedom.
"Control your own destiny or someone else will."
Jack Welch
For too many years, many people in many countries have given control over their destiny to dictators, military rulers, or tyrants often without any consent or any ability to say otherwise. And, likewise, far too many of us have given control of our lives to employers, friends, or families. In some cases, it is also true that control has been given over to a much more pervasive influence and that is what we see and read as that which so calls represents success.
Each one of us is responsible for our own control, our own destiny. Excuses, procrastination are also conditions of allowing control away from our own intentions, desires and dreams. Isn't it about time that we all stand as individuals ready to fight for our own personal freedom to do as we dream, to that which makes us happy deep down and not some other person's vision telling what should make us happy.