So What Does Freedom Mean to You?

Today is our Independence Day.

And whether you attend a parade, watch fireworks or see the movie "Independence Day," freedom is on the minds of most of us today.

So we here at Palmer/Forks Patch.com tried something different. We tried a digital Man on the Street question, asking people for their comments about freedom and getting their responses via Facebook posts and email.

Here's what people had to say about what freedom means to them:

       Alison Miers, Vice President Easton Initiatives, Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce

Freedom allows you to live life to the fullest, stay true to what you believe, and to dream big because we have the ability to do so! AND we should hold each other’s freedom, and our own freedom, in high regard.

        David Billings, Forks Township Supervisor

Freedom means we live in a country where open and honest political debate is encouraged and respected. A country where we value our differences. 

Melissa F. Manazer Hess, Palmer/Forks Township resident

Freedom means the ability to live my life the best way that I can while making the world around me a better place to live.

The ability to sacrificially love everyone and treat them with respect. Modeled by Jesus. He loved us first. What a blessing.

C. David Howell, former Forks Township supervisor

Freedom, as a concept, is something we practice and enjoy every day without even considering the word's relevance in our daily lives. Perhaps in a nutshell, freedom is represented by the unlimited choices we have to pursue in our lifetime. Personal freedom is not absolute. Freedom has restraints but only as to actions that would otherwise deny others the same right of freedom. Just recently, the Supreme Court upheld the right to "lie" as a right of free exercise of speech. Free speech along with the exercise of all aspects within the concept of Freedom carries with it an implied responsibility to exercise personal restraint, lest you suffer the moral and legal consequences of your "free acts."

Brett Bonfanti, Forks Township resident

Freedom is the ability to do what one desires while uninhibited from the likes of others, governments, and outside influences. These wants must, of course, be within reason and cannot cause harm to others. As Americans, we are entitled to this freedom and must continue to defend it, making sure that every single American also reserves the same freedom. On a more political note, I'll end with a
quote from Ronald Reagan: "Man is not free unless government is limited."