Freedom?

Daily writing prompt

What does freedom mean to you?

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Freedom?!

Over a decade ago, I could have answered this without hesitation. However, in the ensuing years since my retirement, I can’t answer this. I’ve traveled the breadth of combat zones, and I’ve seen the cost of freedom up close and personal.

And I have questions that will never receive answers.

After twenty years of ‘war’ are we more secure now than we were then? Is the uprooting and the destruction of other people’s cultures the best way to pursue peace? Are we even in the ‘peace’ business?

Am I truly free? Or am I shackled to the illusion of freedom? Sure, I can choose an end, as long as I choose from the options Big Government gives me. I can say what I want, as long as it doesn’t offend someone else. I can choose to drive a fossil fuel vehicle, for now.

How long before I’m told what religion I can participate in and how often? Humor is allowed, as long as you make fun of the ‘right’ people. How long before we burn books that we disagree with, or worse yet, they’re rewritten to fit the narrative embraced by the masses?

Well, I’m done chasing this illusion. Have a great day.