Written by Sneha Chekuri
We live in America: A land of hope, opportunity, and freedom… Yet I am ashamed to say, that I was once one of those many people who took freedom for granted. I was once just another face in the crowd, who would state the ‘Pledge of Allegiance’ everyday, blindly. I regret those days… I still do. There I sat, barely enjoying this freedom that I just happen to possess, while others were dying and bleeding for me to keep it. That was when I realized the cost of our freedom. Lives. Actual human lives.
Although freedom isn’t an object you can hold physically, it’s the most wanted gift man has ever desired. Freedom is the right to make your own choices. It’s the right to be able to say, “I can, and I will”. It’s a gift that was fought or, and a gift that allows us to rest at night knowing we’re safe.
We all want to be able to act, speak, and think freely. That was what some of the most well known freedom fighters fought for. Take Martin Luther King Jr for example. He fought so everyone would be treated equally, and everyone, no matter who they were, could act, think, or speak freely. If it weren’t for his strong beliefs and bravery, many people's’ freedom couldn’t be possible today. For that, we owe him our greatest thanks. Freedom is possible thanks to all freedom fighters, including our veterans.
It’s amazing how the idea of freedom has changed throughout the years. As stated by Nelson Mandela, “For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” My definition of freedom comes to an agreement with Mandela’s definition. It is to be understood that a world of freedom means that we all live together in harmony. A world of freedom is a world where everyone is treated fairly. A world of freedom is where anyone could be whoever they wanted to be, just like everyone else.
To me, freedom is the right to make your own choices. It’s the right to make your own mark in the world, just like everybody else, and not be treated differently about it.
I believe I speak for everyone, when I say this: Freedom is here with us today, and we are thankful!
Sneha Chekuri is a 16 year old blogger and artist from Texas. She has an (admittedly unhealthy) obsession with Gossip Girl and Jessie, boba tea, and Apple's smile-tear emoji. She loves to spend hours on Netflix (it's never too late to start a binge!) or reading books whenever she can.
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