Some Thoughts on Liberty

I came across this quote earlier this evening, and I've been ruminating on it a little:

"I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon. I seek to develop whatever talents God gave me—not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me. I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed. I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia. I will not trade freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any earthly master nor bend to any threat. It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; to think and act myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say – 'This, with God's help, I have done.' All this is what it means to be an American."

It was written in the 1950s by a man called Dean Alfange. Born in Constantinople but raised in Utica, he served as a politician for multiple political parties in the state of New York for the majority of his life. He served in World War I, and was active in helping Jews escape Nazi persecution during the Holocaust. 

When I read this quote, it occurred to me that, in our age of hyper-luxury and over-refinement, many people, both in the United States and around the world, have forsaken or forgotten Liberty. It simply holds no meaning for so many because of how ubiquitous it is. People now have forgotten what their ancestors fought for all those years ago, in so many wars and other violent conflicts, because now we think of Liberty as ancillary to Luxury. We are all too often "free", but it is not a fitting freedom which we now possess. We are "free" from things our culture deems "offensive" or "boring" or "complicated," be that a foreign opinion, alternate perspective, or provocative work of literature or art. We are too often driven to be yet another interchangeable economic unit, of entirely the same worth or respect as our brethren, no matter whether that worth or respect was rightly earned or wrongly taken from another. Too many people receive assistance who merely steal, while too few people receive any proper benefits or charity who need it most. Too many people place undying faith in utopia, while too few people strike out on their own. Too many people are afraid of failure, while too few people are hopeful for success. What the exact causes of these symptoms are, I cannot say with any real certainty; yet I may propose a solution of sorts. As the Bible says, he who has ears, let him hear. 

My solution is that which is embodied in Alfange's statement. Namely, that Americans (and peoples all over the world) should once again embrace Liberty as a guiding principle by which to live and organize their existences and their societies. The only shackles which bind a person in this case are those which an individual fashions for himself. If you are bothered by any external thing or circumstances, as the Stoics say, it is your judgment of the thing that makes you react negatively, and it is this which you have the power to revoke or change at any time. With this in mind, a person can hope to properly strike out for himself, neither afraid of failure nor overly hopeful for success. 

Supposing you do strike out and come to hardships, you must keep your head unbowed though it be bloodied, and your body strong though it be bruised, and your mind clear though you be pricked from outside with crowns of thorns or the scorns of others. Ignore those who insult you and try to trip you up. They are merely the victims of their own mentality, and there is always a chance that by your example you may lead them to the same path which you now walk--the path of the individual living a free life unencumbered by any external injury, the path of the responsible citizen, the path of the man who seeks Liberty as his guiding principle.

I may perhaps write more on this quote by Alfange. It is a marvelous encapsulation of that creed by which I have attempted to live, the creed of Liberty and Virtue, and the same creed which I attempt to put into practice so that I may lead by example (though I will admit that I fall short very often, as is the case with being human.) I may write more of a formal essay on it and post that here. For the time being, I would appreciate any comments or thoughts that you, reader, might have on the quote. It is certainly thought-provoking, at least.

Pax vobiscum. :-)