Can a people be free without enslaving and exploiting others? I believe they can. I believe there is a path. Many wise teachers have gone before us and exhorted us. Let us listen to their voices, their pleas. How do we live the words, “Treat others the way that you would like to be treated.”? It is not impossible. It is something we can do step by step, person by person, until whole communities and perhaps nations can live with this ethos.
I remember when I was still quite young, 20, a teacher who was an expert on revival came to teach a class I was taking. I asked, “How do we get a revival started?” His answer: “First draw a circle around your two feet and pray that God would revive everything within this circle.” Wow, I was not expecting that answer! So simple, so profound. Start with me.
As I celebrate the 4th of July, I want to consider how I can promote freedom and justice for all people, starting with those around me who I can treat well, neighborly, kindly and with compassion. May we all join our circles together and bring the changes needed within and without our borders for this kind of freedom without exploiting others.