Americans have become spoiled. By the phrase “freedom's obligation” how many think that it means exactly that, the obligation which freedom owes us, the freedom we are due? What disorder this nation would have if we all decided to assemble in the same public hall at the same time for as many purposes as participants? Chaos would restrict out rights far more than democracy ever could. In my eyes, “freedom's obligation” represents all the retribution we owe for the lives given for this country and in order to honor the people who have been its citizens. We first and foremost have an obligation to prove ourselves worthy of freedom.
The easiest way to emphasize our loyalty to this country is by supporting the principles upon which it was founded, by voting. Our forefathers made this nation a republic, and though some may disagree with how they carried out their idea of freedom, the framers of the Constitution realized that a democracy like that of the ancient Greeks, a system upon which our fledgling nation was already based, with town meetings where everyone eligible to vote could speak their mind, would not be a logistical possibility for a country so great and so expansive as ours already was, and was destined to be.
To those who argue that the act of voting is pointless, and that one vote doesn't matter, simple words will not suffice to change their minds. There are millions of people in this country, and yes, an individual is most certainly only one of those millions, but voting is more than a tremendous opportunity to determine the leaders of your city, state, and country; it is the stepping stone which allows one to wholly fulfill their obligation to society, by contributing to the community. Through civic activity, one has the opportunity to change minds, change paths, and likewise have theirs be changed.
The only sure way that our dues will be paid is to vigilantly protect the integrity of our nation, as a governmental system, a world superpower, and as a group of people who can all agree on at least one thing: to be an American is to be proud.
Defending liberty requires a social solidarity that is rare in many countries, and though Americans may interact with only a minute percentage of our total population on a day to day basis, our nationality binds us together so strongly that the lengths most would go to in order to preserve their rights, too often taken for granted, are rarely realized.
Therefore, we should not only open our eyes to patriotism when a tragedy strikes, or when everyone else is putting flag stickers on their cars, but, in an attempt to cancel our debt, should always appreciate that while Japanese, Australian, African, or Irish, we are Americans. To be worthy of such a great gift as freedom, we must value it, and use it well.
