Someone recently asked me about the contribution I would like to make to others over the course of my lifetime, and so I've been giving that worthy question some profound thought.
I would like to contribute to the freedom of mankind.
Are there more pressing goals for those of us who support the sovereignty of the human spirit?
I don't think so.
Our identity as individuals is predicated on the gift of freedom, on the notion that we ourselves can choose our friends, our books, our faith, our music, our career, our opinions, our newspaper, our President.
When someone else tells us what to believe or how to pray or who to vote for, we resist.
We protest when others attempt to usurp our rights, silence our voice, or erase our vote.
We know innately that it is our freedom to choose the course of our lives that renders our journey most meaningful.
While we can't always choose the things that happen to us, we can choose how we respond to them.
We can choose not to lose hope, even in the face of great loss.
We can choose to help others, even when we ourselves are asking for help.
We can choose to be courageous, even when under ongoing threat.
We can choose to support democracy, even when the far right turns that support into a struggle.
We can choose what we stand for, who we speak for, and why we strive.
And this is everything.
Because the soul of the individual, like the soul of the nation, can only be claimed for Good if we are free when we make our most important choices.
So, I would wish that to be my contribution, if I were fortunate enough to decide it.
I would wish to contribute to the freedom of mankind, to the sovereignty of the human spirit, and to the private and unassailable territory of the human soul.
Perhaps, by Grace, good fortune, and the abundant support of others, I might have that chance.
Lane MacWilliams
