Personal Liberty

Personal Liberty

What do you think of when I say ‘personal liberty’?   Maybe it’s freedom, or I can do what I want, or free from government interference.  All of these are true to a certain extent.  But what is liberty really?

Liberty is defined as-

The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior, or political views.

I believe from the above definition, which I think to be correct, we do not live in a country where liberty is promoted.  I think there are many laws enacted by well-meaning idiots which try to dictate what they think you/I  should be doing with our live.  This is not a statement against a particular political party but to the political/government system as a whole.

On the bright side, there is a tremendous amount of liberty available for those willing to take it.  We need to remember is liberty is a state of mind and those who are willing to subject themselves to the restrictions placed upon them will never have true liberty.  Liberty is about not letting others dictate to you what you should or should not do.

Here are some things I think you can do to have personal liberty.

• You should believe as you wish and do as you wish within the law.  There are many who are afraid to do what they really want to do.  Do you want to have chickens in your backyard but are afraid of what the neighbor might think?  Do you want to drive a hybrid car but are afraid of what others will think of you?  Are you saving to pay off your house but are afraid other will see you as frugal or cheap?  Please remember what WE think and do matters.  Liberty is what makes you happy.  It is why you pursue happiness.  Doing what is best for your family should take top priority.

• Create independence from the various systems.  You are not trying to escape from THE SYSTEM.  There is no such thing as one system.  There are many systems in place.  It is what gives our system so much resiliency.  For you to be truly free, you will need to start to separate yourself from the various systems.  Maybe it is solar panels for electricity or gardening for food or rain water collection,  you need to have some form of backup protection when one of these systems goes down.  You can’t have true liberty if you are dependent on these systems in totality without any backup.

• Show everyone what you believe and not forcing them to believe.  Force is the wrong way to go about having someone believe in your message.  In the definition above it uses the word imposed, which is another way of force.  If you try to not pay your taxes and you will see force come your way.  True liberty loving individuals do not want to be told what to do and therefore the reciprocal is also true.  The best way to have someone be interested in what you do is to show them the joy you have by living a liberty lifestyle.

• Solve your own problems.  People who love liberty want to succeed and fail based upon their own work.  If they succeed they want to relish in that success and reap the rewards which come from the hard work they put into the job.  Likewise if they fail, they realize no one is to blame but themselves.  They do not want someone else coming in a taking care of them.  They do not want other people’s(government) money.  They feel they did not deserve it or earn it.  Asking for help, if needed should come from your neighbors first, community second.  We want to  be prepared enough so when the government comes to help in a disaster we say ‘we do not need your help, we have everything covered’.  That is what communities/neighbors do for each other.

• Argue your ideas not the worth of the individual.  Don’t say things like ‘you are stupid’.  Back up your ideas with facts.  Don’t resort to name calling.  Someone may not believe your system but a heartfelt conversation about your beliefs leave no one offended.

• Create your own networks.  Those who have their own networks have no need for outside help.  They have set up systems internally so they can provide on their own. Start a gardening club.  Organize a sewing group.  Start a mechanics club.  Do these within your neighborhood.  You will get to know your neighbors and the talents they have as well as establish resources you would not have already known about.

• Never stop learning.  An education is invaluable, get all you can.  This does not mean only higher education.  It could be learning how to use a computer program, how to work on a car, how to prune a tree, how to sew, how to cook.  There are so many skills you can learn to do without spending any money.  Use your network.  Always be learning.

• Realize you will be ignored, made fun of, or attacked.  We live in a society if you vary outside the mainstream you are made fun of.  The mainstream means many things to different people.  Realize your happiness, joy and contentment is paramount.  You know prepared people thrive  and are satisfied knowing they did the best they could under the given circumstances.  I know it is hard, but ignore those around you who do not share your vision.  Be courteous and kind to all but realize not everyone is going to be like you.

• Vote for what you believe in, not who will win.  We need to start standing for something.  Your vote is not thrown away when you vote for somebody who stands where you do.  You throw your vote away when you vote for the status quo.  We can only change ourselves one at a time.  Somebody has to lead and it might as well be you.

• Know why you believe what you believe.  There is nothing worse than having a discussion with someone who regurgitates the talking points of a particular political party without having any reason why they believe that way.  You will need to say I believe ‘insert stance’ because ‘insert reason’, not just because the rich have too much power or the poor deserve our help.  Logic is on your side. Use it.  I believe in liberty because I believe the individual is the ultimate decision maker of his/her fate.  The success or failure resides in him/her.   Politicians make laws which ultimately determine favoritism of a certain outcome.

In the end remember what you do matters.  You are the decider of your own fate.  You changing your life changes the lives of others.  Liberty is a contagion we want everyone to have.  The human condition is to be free or liberated.

Go, be free, show the world what liberty means to you.  Become a better neighbor, husband, wife, son, daughter.  Show them preparedness means taking care of your family, neighbor, mother, or others when disaster strikes in their life.  Stand tall, be firm and resolute.  Following the path of liberty will do more than smooth life’s road, heck it may make it straight.

Prepping 101
Making Life’s Road a Little Smoother