Although the music and sounds of July Fourth are now a week past, I still like to focus on freedom—specifically the freedom where I spend most of my time—writing. It feels as if this freedom has always been part of our lives. One of the things we might take for granted.
But only since 1791 when the First Amendment to the Constitution was ratified. James Madison and George Mason were the men credited with writing the Bill of Rights. They must have realized how important free speech would become to the new republic. So they made sure the First Amendment clearly stated that freedom.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
It is this freedom that allows me to post this blog and write whatever I feel, as long as I do not slander anyone or commit an act of treason.
It is this freedom that feeds my creativity so that when I type out the story in my head, I know it can be submitted and published without fear.
It is this freedom that helps me appreciate all the publishers, agents, and editors who work to make sure writers tell the absolute truth with the most effective word usage.
It is this freedom that warms my soul every time someone asks me what I do and I reply, “I’m a writer.” Because that is truly who I am and not just what I do.
It is this freedom that allows me to question when someone speaks or writes a sentence I might not agree with. Analyzing and digging for the truth is also who I am as a writer. To be denied the right to disagree would censor my tongue and disrupt my brain waves. As an American citizen, I must be given the right to be a creative thinker.
It is this freedom that I salute every time I finish a manuscript and send it through cyberspace. Hoping someone somewhere will see my words and be impacted in some way—perhaps even to the point of taking action and finding hope.
It is this freedom that gives me the right to say, “Thank you” and respond when my words invite comments.
It is this freedom that keeps the libraries and the bookstores open. Feeding the dreams of young girls and boys who want more than anything else—to write.
And it is this freedom that allows us to cherish the oldest and longest-selling book. The one manuscript that has been on the best-seller lists over and over. It continues to sell in its various versions, dialects, and languages. The truth sets us free, so the freedom to read our Bibles is still one of our greatest treasures.
I am grateful to live in the land of the free where words fly from my fingers to the computer screen and into a reader’s soul. Where the freedom to write what I feel and what stirs my creative juices helps celebrate the freedoms of America.
And I am grateful for the freedom to send these words to you. Hoping they will remind you to be grateful as well.
©2023 RJ Thesman – All Rights Reserved
Even though we live in a free country, some women are trapped in the prisons of domestic abuse. Read how one woman set healthy boundaries and found her pathway to escape. No Visible Scars.
Celebrating gratefully. A rich reminder. Thank you
This is an important message in support of teachers as well as writers. My first three years of teaching were in a district controlled by an organization advocating freedom of speech. It turns out that freedom of speech is something they believed in for themselves while trying to restrict that freedom among teachers. That was 60 years ago. Today that issue is even more prevalent and growing worse.
Truth!
So grateful for our freedoms.