"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness"
Being born and living in a communist country for the first three years of my life, immensley changed my view of the world. It still boggles my mind the things I remember. Guns / rifles pointed at us, the sheer humiliation of being half way across the street and told to go back just to let the military trucks pass by first. I didn't understand the psychological and mental breakdown that was intended through it but even at three I knew there was something seriously wrong with that picture. Living off a book that told you what you were allowed to eat each month depending on your age. I remember helping my grandmother steal tangerines in order to have fruit for me for the rest of the month. The funny thing is that my 3 years in that country were the happiest I could remember. I look back on them now and realized the grave situation we were living in, but no one made a big deal at least not in front of me. Stealing tangerines was a game my grandma and I made up and so to me it was play. Thank God, I was taken out of that, otherwise without question my life would be 100% different at this moment. I still have people over there and realize that their lives is more of an existence than a life per say. It breaks my heart and it fills me with determination when it comes to mine. I got away and if I took it for granted, it would be so wasted on me.
I know, I'm always aware and never take for granted how important our inalieanable rights are. It is our birth right as part of humanity to have this be our God given right.....Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Right, that not everyone enjoys, still to this day. So....yea our economy is bad, there is crime and bills, gas is going up etc. etc. but when you think about the bigger scope of things, I think WOW! how lucky we are, what a great gift we have to live where we live and enjoy having our dreams and possibilities be ours and not broken or taken away. I hope this doesn't come off as preachy because it's not. I just wish there was a way I could have people live in those kinds of situations for just one day and maybe they could realize how things aren't that bad, how rich they are and maybe get some perspective you know. I guess, I just feel very lucky that's all and I hope you do too. To be the masters of our destiny....to have control of our lives, what we do, when we do, how we do, with who we do.......it is simply ours to decide and no one elses and that is a BEAUTIFUL thing.;)
Wishing everyone on my flist a GREAT 4th OF JULY!!!!