What Price Freedom? Essay, Research Paper

What is the price for FREEDOM? It’s is obvious that the price for freedom is not free but that it is rather large. After obtaining freedom, we look back and wonder was it worth it? Was freedom overpriced? In other words, did we sacrifice and pay too much to be free?

In the United States’ history, there have been many wars that have taken place. We live the way we do today because of the many brave men and women that have sacrificed their lives. There is no doubt that this is a huge price. One person’s life is big enough! Just imagine losing your father, mother, sister, brother, or any other family member. Just imagine being drafted for a war that is known to be deadly. You know that when you leave you have a slim chance at coming back. These people have made the ultimate sacrifice by giving their life for the lives of other people. You can kind of relate this to the bible. God sent Jesus Christ to sacrifice his life so that others could be free and have a chance to live.

Yes, freedom has been paid for but there is a responsibility that comes with the freedom also. Was all that dyeing for worth it? With so much freedom that we have in our society today, sometimes it becomes a problem. All the liberties we have such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, etc… could be the cause of all the conflicts today. Freedom probably makes way for political conflict the most, and as we know these conflicts can prevent our government from quickly responding to domestic and foreign problems. A free society also allows people to express their views how and when they want which can be troublesome. Just think of the Nazis and the Fascists. They could not have attained power if they had not once lived in a free country. What if we limited free speech? If free speech was denied to groups like racists, then racism could be easier to eliminate. Maybe the Oklahoma City bombing would have never occurred if free speech had been denied to the leaders of radical right militias. It seems like we are still paying the price of freedom constantly, doesn’t it?

Even though freedom can bring around problems such as these, I believe that we have to deal with these problems because overall freedom is good for us. We have to remember that freedom allows us to choose our paths in life that are best suited for us. Not to long ago, there were seventy-five Chinese people that were caught trying to sneak into America illegally. They were found packed inside of a crate the size of a tractor-trailer. Yes, that’s right, they came to the United States in a crater with a few air holes on a boat. They endured this scene for two to three weeks. They had to live in the dark and their own waste and stink for that amount of time. If the boat were to crash or run into other problems they would be in grave danger. Each of them paid sixty-five thousand dollars for this trip. Wait a minute, these penniless people wouldn’t have that much money. Apparently they planned to pay off the debt by working for low pay as indentured servants for many years. You ask why they would do such a thing, probably because they would like to live freely for once in their life. Sometimes I think we take our freedom for granted.

Freedom has probably been the most expensive item we have paid for to present day. Freedom does bring along some problems, but we have to become responsible for it. Sure there will be things I won’t want my [future] kids to listen and see, so I have to take responsibility for it. It’s just like being responsible for the freedom we received from God. We have to accept that he sent Jesus as our savior and believe in him. Freedom is great when we take responsibility for it. In my opinion, I think that we should take responsibility and not waste the many sacrifices our fellow men have made for us. Even though the cost of freedom is unbelievably high, I think that the price and effort put into “purchasing” it was well worth it.