Following a dream toward freedom

"Following a dream toward freedom" Freedom has always come very easily for me. I've always had it and I've never been without it. But as I sit here thinking I remember all the stories that were told to me, about the struggles we were put through to get these freedoms. Since I am a black woman my general knowledge of history tells me that the struggle for freedom was extremely great. Blacks had to endure slavery and go through wars to achieve their freedoms. Woman had to live in silence while the world was run without their say. To overcome this they created woman's suffrage and woman's rights acts to finally allow them their freedoms. It is an extremely triumphant feeling to know the things they went through to give me the luxuries I have today. But what if they didn't? What if we were still having to fight wars for our freedoms? I often wonder what slavery would be like? Looking in todays society slavery is still the same nightmare it was then. People in South Africa and Iran wake to this same nightmare everyday. They have no personal rights or freedoms at all. Everyday they live in fear for their lives. If its not being threatened by their own government its being threatened by the lack of food they receive. Imagining the things they go through everday makes me wonder about my freedoms. Why is it that I can go to my refrigerator whenever I want and be able to get a nice, clean drink of water. When Meanwhile in some foreign country some 10 year old kid, who has the same thirst as I do has to go to a lake where the animals bathe to get a foul, disease infested drink. Knowing about these peoples sufferings really makes me realize how important and how special the freedoms that Americans posses are. I believe everyone takes their freedoms for granted. We are by far granted the greatest freedoms in the world.But we are far from perfect and unfortunately we have our own struggles for freedom. Ranging from racial freedoms to religious freedoms. I believe that freedom is the greatest thing in the world but unfortunately there are a lot of sacrifices to be made. Americans need to realize that freedom is not a necessity. We don't have to have it. Freedom is a gift. It is the most precious gift in the world simply because it cannot be bought in any store. It is given to you just for being an American. My last thought on this is that I think everyone has had and still has there struggles with freedom. But I believe that what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, so the struggles we endure are worth it in the end........Aren't they?