“We Hold these truths to be self-evident. That all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”
To the founding fathers, freedom was an inalienable right. . Freedom was not for sale, freedom was not something that you bought, freedom was the birthright of every individual, regardless of their social, economic or political standing. So, freedom was free…or was it? Because the same 56 men who affirmed the right of every citizen of this new country to be free, also affirmed at the end of this same document that “for the support of this declaration with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” Our forefathers recognized that freedom came from our Creator without a price tag. But, the preservation of this freedom would forever place the citizens of this nation in debt.
This is a debt paid in part by those whose families are forever marked with an empty chair at the dining table. And by those who have had a branch of their family tree that was cut short, when a member demonstrated unreserved devotion and service to their country.
This is a debt paid in part by the millions upon millions of Americans who have answered the call of this nation to serve in both peace, and conflict. This was a debt paid in part by the original 56 who indeed lived up to their pledge and paid for the preservation of freedom with their lives, fortunes, and their sacred honor. And paid in part by those who have recently fallen in the eastern mountains of Afghanistan.
Those mentioned have paid their part of the debt owed for freedom. But, to many, freedom remains relatively free. The cost associated with our inalienable rights is relatively little. The sad truth of the matter is that for far too long, we have simply ignored the debt we owe for freedom. We have allowed others to pick up the check, as it were. Its time for us to adopt the old adage “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” Its time for us to accept, and act upon, the fact that freedom is not free.
It is very unlikely and impractical that all of will serve in the military. But, that does not negate our responsibility to work to preserve Freedom. To assure that this God-given right is available to everyone, everywhere. While there are many ways in which we can do this, time only allows me to focus on a few. These are ideas that have their origin in Great Britain. These ideals were brought to our continent by an elderly gentleman by the name William Boyce. Some of you may recall the story of Mr. Boyce. Mr. Boyce was visiting London, and during his visit he became hopelessly lost in the dense London fog. He was “found” by a young boy who offered directions to Mr. Boyce and ensured his safe return to his lodgings. This boy shared with Mr. Boyce the principles that motivated him to offer help, but refuse reward. Thus, the Boy Scouts, originated by Sir Robert Baden-Powell in England, was brought to the United States. The cornerstone of this movement is the Scout Oath, written in 1909. And, while just about everything in this world has changed in the past 90 years, the Oath has not. Why? Because, like our Bill of Rights…it works.
In the first line of the Scout Oath, there are twelve words that provide insight into the values necessary for freedom. From these twelve words, 3 Principles are clearly defined that illuminate the responsibilities of the individual in a republic.
The first principle set forth in the Scout Oath are, “On My Honor I Will”. Do we remember what honor means? Honor is one of those words we think we understand, until we have to give a definition. Lately, Honor has become a lost character trait. We have gone so far as to denigrate it in the phrase “honor among thieves”. However, Honor has no place with such base and low practices. 60 years ago, Dr. W.F. Tillet of Vanderbilt University related the story of Ermine hunting in Europe. The ermine is a small animal widely valued for its fur. First, the hunters would search out, and find, the den of the Ermine. Then, they would daub it with filth and set the dogs loose. When the dogs would get on the scent of the ermine, it would run back to its den for shelter. However, when it arrived and found that it must soil its coat to enter, he would turn toward the dogs and fight for his life. You see, the ermine could be captured because he would rather have his coat stained with blood than dirtied with filth. He would sooner face death than sully his most valuable and precious characteristic. For some, Honor is dearer than life.
Today, One only has to quickly browse the headlines of USA Today to recount the numerous examples of Honor being sacrificed at the alter of expediency and personal gain. Everyday we are surrounded by it, whether it’s in the News, Sports, Business or Entertainment section. You see, Honor is not genetic. It is a learned trait. What is evidenced on the pages of newspapers was born of examples at home, school and in the community.
For the preservation of freedom, individuals must return once again strive to be people of honor. Instead of saying, “On my Honor, I’ll think about it”, we must return to saying “On my Honor, I will.”
The Oath continues: “Do My Best”. Former President, Jimmy Carter, wrote a book entitled, Why Not the Best? In it he recalled being interviewed by Admiral Rickover for the Nuclear Submarine Program. He hoped to make a good impression with his high marks from the United States Naval Academy, but the Admiral looked at him and simply asked, “Did you always do your best?” President Carter had to look at him and answer, “No.” upon which the returning question was, “why not?”
Why not. That question should be asked of me and every graduating student, every professor, staff member and administrator. Why do we think that Best is what someone else should do? We expect the Best from our mechanics, plumbers, pilots and everyone else, yet excuse ourselves. When you Do Your Best, you may not attract worldwide attention, but you will make a difference. You will be moving our country towards better schools, businesses, families, churches and communities. A simple act, but a debt paid.
The next part of the phrase is “to do my duty.” When I think of duty, I’m reminded of an illustration from one of the world’s favorite philosophers Charlie Brown. In one episode Charlie and Linus are discussing growing up. Charlie says that growing up is like being in a car. In the beginning you ride in the backseat and somebody else takes care of everything but one day, all the sudden, wham! You’re grown-up and you can’t ride in the back seat anymore. Duty is a sign of growing up and far too many Americans are still trying to fit in the backseat.
The word duty is a derivative of a French word deu. It’s where we get our word debt. Duty is what one owes to others. We all have duties: duties to pay taxes, serve on juries. Other duties are moral, such as, to be a person of integrity, to provide and care for our families, to pull our own weight. Our natural tendency is to do things that are fun, to live for beauty. But, when one becomes intellectually and morally aware we find life is duty, which is another word for responsibility.
Today people would have us believe that responsibility is optional. They insist that there is always someone else who should share responsibility. I think I heard on CNN, an executive from Enron complain, “Our number one problem is that nobody wants to take responsibility for anything-but don’t quote me.”
We have a duty to those who work with. We have duties to our family, friends and to ourselves. Duty, like honor, is not inherent. It is taught and it is caught … by example.
How many people upon getting a notice of jury duty have the initial response of “O boy an opportunity to do my duty.” It’s more than likely we snicker at the individual who was not smart enough to get out of doing such duty. Today, people will to give you quizzical, innocent look and ask: “what is my duty?” I prefer the response of Daniel Webster, “A sense of duty pursues us ever, It is omnipresent.” It’s quite clear that we recognize Duty all too well, by the great lengths we go to in avoiding it.
So is Freedom really free? Well it was when our creator handed it to us, but all of us today face an ever-looming debt. It has been free for a significant number who have yet to serve, volunteer, vote, contribute, donate, participate, or make a commitment. And yet for all of us the opportunity to make a commitment to pay on that debt is ever present.
Freedom is not maintained by military might. History is strewn with the wreckage of great civilizations that fell, not for lack of military, but for lack of morality. They crumbled from within. What we need for the protection and preservation freedom are strong families … ethical businesses …colleges and universities with upstanding professors … and organizations run by moral individuals. People of character who understand the Judeo-Christian values that our founding fathers upheld. Men and women who will stand up and say: “On my honor I will …Do my best … to do my duty.”
