Freedom-theme holidays are big responsibility reminders

Juneteenth and Independence Day are only 15 days apart. They’re close enough together to put the concept of freedom at the forefront of my mind.

Juneteenth helps to celebrate the freedom of my previously enslaved ancestors. Independence Day, or the Fourth of July, is “the annual celebration of nationhood” and “commemorates the passage of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress of July 4, 1776,” according to Encyclopaedia Britannica’s website.

That Black American slaves had to wait until long after 1776 for “independence” is indisputable. But both holidays serve as a reminder that freedom isn’t free. And that’s not just a lofty slogan. Freedom is a precious thing that comes accompanied by responsibility … and, often, consequences. Any number of Old Testament Bible lessons demonstrate that.

These days, the concept of freedom is marked by debates over what should be considered a freedom, or what should be considered a violation of the law and lead to loss of freedom. It’s marked by arguments of how far any one group’s rights and privileges should be allowed to go; how far, fast and furiously one can swing one’s arm and still, theoretically, avoid the other person’s nose … and whether one should care or be punished if one hits another in the nose. Most alarmingly, the question of free speech comes up as more individuals inclined to return to figuratively shouting “fire!” in crowded theaters pop into our collective consciousness via today’s headlines.

Freedom is about being allowed to make choices — choices that can ensure comfort, triumph or ruin. Choices that stir up small, soon-to-disappear pond ripples or tsunamis that can take out the choice-maker and countless casualties.

We are presented with the freedom to embrace faith, and the freedom to embrace fear. We have the freedom to watch the train wrecks or be part of them.

We enjoy the freedom to read the online comments that accompany online stories, hoping we might in certain cases be amused and entertained by them but taking the risk of being annoyed, exasperat

ed, shocked, outraged or disheartened by them. We also have the freedom to avoid that link that says “1001 comments,” clicking on the next feature or getting up and going out for a breath of fresh air.

At least in some cases, we have the freedom to simply walk (or run) away from the curve balls life has dealt us; the hairy situations we didn’t sign up for; the situations we thought we could handle when we viewed them from the courtyard, but which look unmanageable when we’re nose-to-“nose” with them in a cluttered broom closet. And we have the freedom to stay, to face, to cope with, to pray for strength to overcome, said curve balls and hairy situations … realizing that: (1) we may be a blessing to someone; (2) in general we’re setting a strong example of heroism and intestinal fortitude; and/or (3) in particular, we’re encouragement for someone watching from the sidelines, facing the same challenges and tempted to simply throw in the towel.

During Juneteenth and Fourth of July holidays, we’re free to go to events that involve hunting/paying for parking; paying small king’s ransoms for refreshments because we’re forbidden to take our own; hunting for somewhere halfway comfortable to pitch our chairs and tents and consume said refreshments; drowning in our own sweat; trying to peep over or around those in front of us to see some performance or display; and enduring an elongated trip back home due to being stuck in a long line of departing cars. We’re also free to decide that this scenario is not worth the reward of watching the featured performance/spectacle or the comparable reward of people-watching. We can choose to grill meat for the company in the backyard; accept an invitation from someone else planning to do just that; or just veg/sleep the day away.

And, we have the freedom to not be free … to surrender our freedom to any number of mind prisons that can drive us to anger, bitterness, substance abuse, or dangerous radicalism that would cause us to hurt our fellow human beings because we think they’re hurting us just by being. We also have the freedom to strive to overcome the inner demons that stand waiting to take us out. Oh, and those of us who’d make good role models, mentors and lift-as-we-climbers have the freedom — nay, responsibility — to seek out and lend the aforementioned a helping hand as best we can to steer them onto the right road.

Just a little something to keep in mind as we prepare to don our American-flag-print summer outfits, make those cute red-white-and-blue desserts we see in the cooking mags and websites, make our way to the outdoor concert and watch those fireworks.