You Can’t Put A Price On Freedom
Here are a few perspectives on freedom from cowboy poet and author Steve Lucas. He not only sent us this piece on the price of freedom, but also sent along this great illustration of the story that was done by his wife, Margaret.
Artwork by Margaret Lucas
Freedom
By Steve Lucas
Ace and Jack were sitting on the porch as twilight turned to night. Lightning flashes from a distant storm lit up the horizon, and lightning bugs seemed to flash in unison in the trees in the yard around them. Their wives had taken the kids to town to watch the 4th of July fireworks. The guys had begged off with the excuse that they had to figure out why Ace’s truck was running rough. A dirty filter fixed the truck problem. Now they were absorbing the coolness of the night, listening to the approaching storm.
“Man, this is the life,” declared Ace. “Freedom sure is nice, but it sure is expensive.”
“You are right,” Jack agreed. “Our Founding Fathers put everything they had on the line. They risked their fortunes, their land and their lives to make our country free. They went into debt, and we sure owe them a debt of gratitude for the freedom we have today. If it hadn’t been for George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and….”
“Yeah, I agree,” interrupted Ace. “But I was thinking more about the here and now. I mean look how much our freedom cost us today.”
“Yes, indeed,” Jack concurred. “The daily struggle to keep our freedom has a tremendous price. The cost of maintaining our government, defending our borders and protecting our individual rights has a huge price tag. Not just in terms of money, but in terms of commitment, time, and human lives.”
“That’s true, Ace said. “But look at us. We’re just two old cowboys, sittin’ on the porch, watchin’ Ol’ Mother Nature’s fireworks. The cows are bedded down, we’ve got no one around to tell us what to do. We are totally free. All it cost us was all the cash we had in our wallets to send the wives and kids to town.
“I see your point,” Jack replied. “Freedom is expensive.”
Freedom is expensive. Celebrating it is too! Regardless of how you celebrate this Independence Day, however, have a good time and remember the true cost at which this independence comes.
