Freedom Isn't Free

I had an insight about the saying that freedom isn’t free. It usually refers to people who fought in wars. While I am no way disrespectful of them, or their service, what about all the people who advocate for peace and social justice? They are worthy of that same respect. I know people who have put their bodies on the line to stand up for the rights of others who are in marginalized groups. They do it, not for glory, or attention, not to thumb their noses at the law, but because it is the right thing to do. They do it because today it is one group of people, tomorrow it might be them. Some have been assaulted, some have been imprisoned. Some have been murdered for it.

Remember the exquisite Martin Niemöller quote:

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

In a world gone bonkers, do any of us have certainty that some day we will not be on that list?

I am writing this on July 4th, 2026. In childhood in the 60s and 70s, it was a day to be anticipated, in which my parents, sister and I would walk down to a main thoroughfare in Willingboro, NJ (one of the original Levittown communities) and perch on the curb as we watched the parade. Marching bands, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, veterans, community groups proudly traipsed by. I can still remember the sensation of the drum beats reverberating in my chest, as if I was a percussion instrument myself. People waved little American flags. We had some decorating our garden in front of the house and if memory, serves, my father had placed a larger one in a flag holder on the house itself. I didn’t know exactly what American pride meant, but I had a sense that we were lucky to have the freedom to say what was on our minds. My father was a first generation American born son of refugees who fled Russia during the pogrom. He thought of this country as a land of opportunity. He would say that it was the greatest country in the world because we could criticize the President without repercussion. Not so, these days. We decorated our bikes with red, white and blue streamers that matched the color scheme of our summer shorts and shirts. After the parade, we went to our community pool and splashed about before coming home for the annual cook out. Food sizzled on the grill, marshmallows melted over the embers. Family members from my mother’s and father’s sides join us on our back patio. Neighbors stopped by. Kids played on our swing set. Everyone was welcome. My parents were not big drinkers and the joke was that if there was a six pack of beer left over from the party, it would still be there the next 4th of July.

When the sun set and the temps cooled down, we would head over to our elementary school (and then in later years, to a local park) where fireworks were shot into the air as colors burst in the night sky. Oohhh….ahhhh~

This year, I am not feeling festive. Not there isn’t something to celebrate, as there are still brave souls who are willing to make a difference each day. The leadership in our country is not acting in the spirit of the independence that the Founding Fathers had in mind when they penned the iconic words, “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (and even with this intention, ‘all men and women’ who are created equal are not treated as such. Not back then, not in present day America.)

Instead, what they are doing is shredding asunder, the document that has inspired the governing of our country, since it was signed on this day in 1776 in the city of my birth. They are stomping on it, and then holding it aloft as if their desecration was something to be proud of. My concern isn’t just what the elected and appointed leaders are doing to destroy this nation and reshape it in their fever dream image of dystopia. It is the people who are smiling, clapping and cheering along. Do they truly want what the current occupant of the Oval Office is threatening?

When I despair, which I do far too often, I remember that there are people who are proudly declaring that they don’t want that and instead, speaking out, praying out, singing out, peacefully protesting out, writing out, hugging out the vision that they have for our country and world. Last night, I took part in an event that was held in one of my interfaith spiritual communities, Pebble Hill Church in Doylestown, PA. A month or so ago, my friend Debra (Deva) Troy invited me to share a spiritual invocation from my tradition of Judaism at the event that she was inspired to create. What a beautiful night with kindred souls gathering to envision the world we want for the next seven generations. Deva really understood the assignment from Spirit as she created this ritual called VISION AMERICA 250. For a few hours, a packed house of kindred spirits and a few on Zoom, joined in co-creating a country that would support the next seven generations. When we are forward thinking, we take seriously the importance of being good stewards of the planet. There were rituals, and a rephrasing of America the Beautiful, making it more egalitarian and inclusive as our voices reached to the rafters. Deva penned a song called ‘We Are the Future’ that she performed with us as her impromptu choir.

I spoke about three concepts in Judaism that are part of my daily marching orders. Tzedakah is a Hebrew word meaning “righteousness”, but commonly used to signify charity. It is not about looking down on people in need, but uplifting and empowering them. It is about being generous with our time, resources and love. Chesed translates to “lovingkindness” by which we go out into the world and connect heart to heart with others. The third is Tikkun Olam which means “repair of the world”. The idea is that we are called on to mend the rends and repair the rifts.

Another ritual was a meditation that had us meeting up with a child, seven generations in the future when we and everyone we now know and love are long gone. Perhaps this person is a descendent. This tiny person wanted to know what we did in this lifetime to create the world into which they were born. My immediate thought was the world described in one of my favorite books called 2150 A.D. written by Thea Alexander. It is the story of Jon who is a psychology student living in the post-Viet Nam War era 1970s. In his dream state he finds himself in the year 2150. There he immerses himself in the teachings of the Macro Society in which people have learned the futility of hatred and violence, have developed intuitive abilities and have repaired the world. Children are taught from an early age, how to love and practice those skills as well. THAT is the world I would love to see now.

In the midst of the evening, the sky opened, the wind set the trees to dancing and torrential rain fell. I had a feeling that we would be rewarded with a rainbow along with a much needed drop in temperatures since it topped out at over 100 in the previous few days. Mother Nature delivered.