What Freedom Means To Me

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I wrote this for another website but just wanted to share, because I think it is important. A lot of people take freedom for granted and people die trying to get the freedoms we have or die fighting to protect these freedoms. Don't forget that this weekend. I am very honored and lucky to live in a country where I am fortunate enough to have many freedoms - people have died protecting those freedoms, or been changed by war, etc. And for that I am beyond grateful. We have so many freedoms here - especially as a woman - that other countries don't have. Some countries women are property and they can be stoned to death or burned with acid. Even if they're lucky enough to not suffer abuse at the hands of their own husbands and family, it is not safe for them to walk down the street. I watched an interview and this one woman said she was raped 3 different times just going a half mile to the grocery store. Some countries do not allow you to vote, and have a dictator over you. In america, we choose who rules us, and we can also vote on important issues at the county, state, city, level. We can challenge laws and make reform in the supreme court. We can talk bad about our government. We can dress how we want, have our hair how we want, work where we want, go to school where we want, worship or not worship, whoever we want, date whoever we want, marry whoever we want, live wherever we want. -- And yes, there are other countries with these freedoms too (UK, Sweeden, Canada, etc) -- But there are many, many more countries with horribly oppressed people that die trying to illegally flee their sittuation to come to the US for a better life. I don't know much about my own heritage but I know somewhere way back, someone left whatever country they were in to come to the US because they wanted freedom. -- Freedom is something many Americans take for granted, but I believe we have life pretty good here. I've lived through poverty, been in conditions where I didn't even have running water or electricity right here in the USA, but because I do live in a free country, I was able to elevate myself and escape that bad situation - when I think of the poverty, violence, and oppression of people in other countries, it makes me super grateful to be an American.