Last week’s Independence Day celebrations, today’s anti-communist protests in Cuba, and my own ponderings on the founding documents of the United States and writings from Thomas Jefferson got me thinking about the duties of defending freedom and liberty, as well as the careful difference between liberty and licentiousness which must be recognized, lest we become slaves to our baser emotions. This poem was written as a product of those ponderings, and I may expand upon it in the future. I hope you all enjoy!
What does it mean to be free? To choose one's own path Unbound by the chains of tyranny Unshackled by a planner's wrath To be free is not to do whatever one desires, But to do what one ought to do To be free is to do what the world requires And be ready to give the Tree of Liberty its due We ought to defend that which is good and righteous And steer away from that which may lead us astray Let us not fall prey to our tempting vices Let us not the rights of others betray That all souls be endowed as equals abound Free to pursue life as they wish Without hampering others around So that all may have equal chance to flourish Freedom affords us the privilege to fight for what is right And against what is wrong Yet danger lurks should we lose our sight And stand where we do not belong So learn we must From whence freedom came To know and to trust We stand for what we claim From the past, a path forward is charted Tradition guides us on our journey A brighter future to be started For our children to stand firmly
I am not yet sure what to title this poem. The blog post title may be considered a working title. I still want to expand more upon what liberty is and what it is not, and the duty to eternally defend it from those who would seek to undermine or redefine it for their own nefarious gain. Please feel free to share your thoughts, and share with others!
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The Pensive Warrior 