by Mark Bearing

Created on: October 10, 2010   Last Updated: October 11, 2010

Freedom is a peculiar concept to consider. Just the thought of words like "freedom" or "liberty" or "independence" feel inspiring, they feel, as liberty would suggest, liberating. But when you take examples and look more specifically at a sub-group of people, like Americans, freedom can take on different feelings.

In America freedom is not thought of the same way as it was thought of for William Wallace and the Scots. Americans aren't trying to escape laws that take away their brides on their wedding day or take away their property and food grown on that property. Americans are trying to gain financial freedom from things like taxes and fees. But the thing that Americans have that the Scots did not is a piece of paper called a Constitution that includes a bill of rights that is guaranteed to all citizens of this country. But the concept that often gets confused by many people is that these rights were meant to protect freedoms. On the contrary they are small bargaining chips that when compared with the full result of the law, end up providing even less freedoms than before in many cases.

With rights come responsibilities. Take a look at the second amendment for example. This amendment allows for all American citizens the right to own a weapon or firearm. This amendment however does not guarantee any rights for any American to use these weapons. By giving citizens this right the government did so with laws attached that expect citizens to be responsible with their weapons. These weapons are allowed to the people so that they can defend themselves in dire situations and dire situations only. Any other use of the weapon outside of licensed hunting or a shooting range comes with serious legal consequences. 

To not drag on though with this, the point of it all was to say this; the concept of freedom is over-rated. Despite all of the problems in the U.S. today, there aren't many Americans selling their homes and fleeing to Europe, or Canada, Brazil or China for that matter. Americans like having things like social security (for as long as it may last), things like well maintained roads and mass transportation, things like access to the greatest health-care in the world (however overpriced and inaccessible it can be right now), and things like the idea that they have the ability to choose who it is that leads their communities, states, and country.

At the end of the day, It isn't even up for debate as to how most Americans feel. Most Americans would take the lives they have now in America with whatever freedoms, or lack there of, that they have now. And they will continue to give away a piece of their paychecks so that they can continue living the lives they live. It doesn't matter even that more freedoms are disappearing or that more and more of there paychecks are going away. It doesn't matter because the alternative is unacceptable. Parents aren't going to leave their kids alone at home, because there is no public school, free to roam the streets with people with guns and no police or laws to keep them from using them. No firefighters to save their burning homes, no FBI to keep drug lords from taking over, the alternative is unacceptable and nobody wants that much freedom. They want safety and welfare and will give up incredible amounts of freedom in exchange for that.

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