My friend's 13 year old daughter wrote this. I think she is very insightful for a teenager in today's world.
Sacrifice
When I say the word ‘Freedom’, what comes to mind? A description, a person, a country, or something else? The word that comes to my mind is Sacrifice. Many know that freedom comes at a price, but they don’t realize it at the same time. Freedom is not free, it costs a lot, it takes Sacrifice.
In a book I read, called The Giver, there is a town where they have almost no freedom. They didn’t get to live with their birthparents, only family units, they can’t choose their job, they are given one when they turn twelve, they can’t even see color or have normal human emotions. They don’t know true happiness or terrible sadness. Only one, maybe two people can have actual memories and feelings and the ability to see color.
People died, it happens, it’s sad, but it’s the cost. Same with the war, I know a lot of people say we shouldn’t have gotten involved with Iraq, and that more people died. No, they care that more of our country’s people are dying than if we had not gotten involved. Well, I for one love living in a country where our leader doesn’t only care about us, but about the well being of other countries as well. We have been learning Interdependence, our country cannot survive without the other countries because whether we like it or not, we depend on them as much as they depend on us. And what happens when they need help and no one gives it to them, they lose their trust and try to break away from us, and if enough countries do that, then what happens? We get weaker. By helping them, even if People do get killed, that’s the cost, and it cannot be helped. Freedom will always come at a price. Many people have died so that I may live with freedom.
Many people don’t understand what it means to be free; we think it’s no big deal. But what about Iraq, more people than you think are happy we came to help, even if it doesn’t seem like help at times. They don’t know freedom like we do, they crave it, and they want the ability to make basic choices on their own, not be told what to do all the time. Sometimes people, when they are free, don’t know what to do, they are happy, but confused. They don’t need a ruler or a king or anything like that. They need a helping hand to show them the way until they can do it on their own.
Rejoice in your freedom, be glad that you have it, but don’t flaunt it, don’t show it off. We weren’t given freedom at the cost of millions of deaths just so we could rub it in other people’s faces; we were given it so that we can choose to do what we want with our lives, to spend it helping others, or to spend it helping ourselves. I know what my choice is, even if you think I’m mean, even if you hate my guts, I would still help you if I was given the choice, but you have to create that choice first.
When I say the word ‘Freedom’, what comes to mind? A description, a person, a country, or something else? The word that comes to my mind is Sacrifice. Many know that freedom comes at a price, but they don’t realize it at the same time. Freedom is not free, it costs a lot, it takes Sacrifice.
In a book I read, called The Giver, there is a town where they have almost no freedom. They didn’t get to live with their birthparents, only family units, they can’t choose their job, they are given one when they turn twelve, they can’t even see color or have normal human emotions. They don’t know true happiness or terrible sadness. Only one, maybe two people can have actual memories and feelings and the ability to see color.
People died, it happens, it’s sad, but it’s the cost. Same with the war, I know a lot of people say we shouldn’t have gotten involved with Iraq, and that more people died. No, they care that more of our country’s people are dying than if we had not gotten involved. Well, I for one love living in a country where our leader doesn’t only care about us, but about the well being of other countries as well. We have been learning Interdependence, our country cannot survive without the other countries because whether we like it or not, we depend on them as much as they depend on us. And what happens when they need help and no one gives it to them, they lose their trust and try to break away from us, and if enough countries do that, then what happens? We get weaker. By helping them, even if People do get killed, that’s the cost, and it cannot be helped. Freedom will always come at a price. Many people have died so that I may live with freedom.
Many people don’t understand what it means to be free; we think it’s no big deal. But what about Iraq, more people than you think are happy we came to help, even if it doesn’t seem like help at times. They don’t know freedom like we do, they crave it, and they want the ability to make basic choices on their own, not be told what to do all the time. Sometimes people, when they are free, don’t know what to do, they are happy, but confused. They don’t need a ruler or a king or anything like that. They need a helping hand to show them the way until they can do it on their own.
Rejoice in your freedom, be glad that you have it, but don’t flaunt it, don’t show it off. We weren’t given freedom at the cost of millions of deaths just so we could rub it in other people’s faces; we were given it so that we can choose to do what we want with our lives, to spend it helping others, or to spend it helping ourselves. I know what my choice is, even if you think I’m mean, even if you hate my guts, I would still help you if I was given the choice, but you have to create that choice first.
