“Independence of Speech”

I spent the 4th of July serving the good people of Belize. It was one of many trips I have taken over the last six years. There was barely enough room to walk through the sea of patients when I arrived in the morning. Many of them have become familiar faces through the years. I am in awe that they travel many hours to reach the clinic and then sit there quietly, waiting for their turn to be treated. As I continued to treat patients, I could not help but reflect on the importance of July 4th. Personally, I am truly grateful for the opportunity United Sates of America has offered me. I am thankful for the vision of our founding fathers and I am grateful for many leaders who followed to reinforce the vision, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” We live in the greatest country on the earth. Nowhere else will you see a short, brown guy with an accent succeed beyond his own belief. I am able to travel places to serve because I have the means gained by living in the USA. I am grateful for all this country has offered me. I know ours is not a perfect country and yes, there is way too much bickering among different factions. But, why do we think our country is any different than our own families? We all have annoying family members, drunk uncles, and crazy parents. Contrary to popular belief in the USA, bickering among political groups as well as different constituents is equally common or worse in every other country. The difference is that in the USA, people have freedom to speak or post their views on social media without fear of repercussion. We are constantly subjected to biased view points as we tend to gravitate only towards the sources of our leaning. Try free speech in Venezuela or North Korea or China or even parts of Europe and you will soon find out why USA is truly a beacon of freedom. Having said that, with power comes the moral responsibility of helping. We are a nation of abundance and it is our moral responsibility to help the good people of our nation and abroad. We should lead the way to take care of the needs of humanity and not give in to gratifying desires of individuals. I pray to God that now and forever, He give our leaders the strength to make the right decisions. May God bless the USA, and the world, with peace and prosperity.