Achieved, not bestowed

Julia ♦ July 6, 2020 ♦ 4 Comments

The FDR Memorial in Washington D.C. includes statues of his wife Eleanor and his dog Fala.
December 2004 (Click on Fala to read more about him!)

“In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.”
—Franklin D. Roosevelt

We often speak of freedom being granted, as if it is something given.  While it’s appropriate to view our freedom as a gift, it is also a quality that has to come from within.  We can become the willing slaves of fashion, wealth, popularity or any other craving or addiction.  Or we can allow fear, ignorance and indifference to confine our minds and spirits.  If we confuse freedom with reckless disregard for rules, we’re missing the point and merely swapping one master for another that is potentially more menacing.

On this weekend when we celebrate freedom in America, I wish you a day that is free from all that is detrimental to you, body and soul.  Let’s resolve to make the most of our freedom to learn, grow, and help one another be the best we can be.

This post was originally published seven years ago today. The original post, comments and photo are linked, along with two other related posts, below. These links to related posts, and their thumbnail photos, do not appear in the blog feed; they are only visible when viewing the individual posts by clicking on each one. I have no idea why, nor do I know how they choose the related posts. That’s just the way WordPress does things.