Lest We Forget: Three Concrete Approaches to Honouring Freedom

We must be free not because we claim freedom, but because we practice it. 
-William Faulkner, writer, Nobel laureate

I am taking time this weekend to remember those who serve and those who have served to protect our peace, democracy and freedoms.

Especially, I've been reflecting on freedom: What does freedom mean and how can I honour freedom in a free country like Canada?

Here are a few ideas:

1 - Seek Knowledge

Knowledge is power. I think of countries where getting an education is still so difficult, especially for girls and women,  especially for the impoverished, and how lucky I am to have access to so many free learning resources, both formal and informal.  Whether I want to find a better soup recipe, or learn a new language, or find out more about how my car engine works, I can do it! 

It can be as easy as going to the local library, museum or nature centre.  Or could be as involved as signing up for a continuing education class at the local college, or signing up for a training session on Coursera, an organization that partners with top universities to offer free online courses.  Seriously. Become Yale educated from the comfort of home. How cool is that?

2 - Vote

Your voice counts. Where I live, we are in the middle of a mail-in referendum on what voting system we will use going forward.  Three different forms of proportional representation are on the table, as well as our current system, first past the post.  This is democracy - and freedom - in action.  And yet, with less than three weeks to go until the deadline, only 3.7% of ballots have been returned.  I'm not pointing fingers - I haven't mailed mine in yet either.  But that's because I've been taking the time to do my research.  (See Number 1!) I hope there are many others in the same boat, and as we read, discuss and learn, we'll see more decisions coming in.

3  - Let it Go

We all hold on to guilt, blame and fear that holds us back from being our best self. I know I do.  I had a whole other blog post ready to post yesterday, that I scrapped at the last moment, in part, because it felt too personal. I suddenly got shy even though I have a supportive audience who wants to know more about me and how I'm doing. And that led me to miss my deadline last night, which I felt bad about, which spiraled into a very definite (momentary) decision that I was going to scrap the blog altogether. So... there's your peek behind the curtain for the day. Happens to all of us... right?

Getting over fear and guilt and blame is easier said that done.  There's no 5-step process to follow.  No recipe for freedom cookies that I know of (although they sound delicious!) 

I have no credentials to help you safely navigate your roadblocks, so I'll keep it pretty high level.

For instance, even just stating an intention can be a good place to start:

 I am now letting go of my guilt, blame and fear.

There is freedom in these words. Say them out loud  a couple of times a day and see what happens. 

During one difficult time, I used to sing Nina Simone's I Wish I Knew How it Feels to Be Free in the shower until I felt better.   Whatever song you need - play it on repeat til it really sinks in!

Write your fear on a piece of paper then burn it.  Whisper your guilt into the knothole of a tree.  Decide to forgive.

As we offer gratitude to our service men and women this weekend for the liberties they protect, let's honour their sacrifice by enjoying this generous gift of freedom.

Our families, our communities and the entire world all rely on us to share our greatest gifts. And above all that, we owe it to ourselves. 


If you like my blog, I bet your friends will too.  Thanks for sharing. 

Photo courtesy of Craig Dennis @ Pexels.