By Mike Arnold | FreedomTalk Magazine September, 2026 pages 14-15
By Mike Arnold
As a lifelong student of history, and having traveled to the four corners of the world, I’ve eventually come to realize that, from one very important perspective, the sum total of human history can be defined as a struggle for freedom and against oppression.
Growing up in America, it’s easy to take our freedoms for granted. For most of my life I was guilty of that. But as long as human beings have inhabited Earth, freedom is perhaps the one thing that is never, ever, simply granted. It must be taken by force and vigilantly defended.
Most today fail to truly appreciate the unimaginable vision, selflessness, bravery and brilliance of our Founding Fathers. No, they weren’t perfect, but the system they gave us came closer than anything conceived by mankind before or since. Second only to the willing sacrifice made by Jesus Christ, their gift of liberty to us is the greatest blessing imaginable.
No king, no ruling class, no totalitarian dictators, no paternalistic government functionaries; they devised a system that allowed governing power only by informed consent of the governed. Considering the blood shed in its establishment and defense, this was an experiment of the highest stakes. And in the generations that followed, its breathtaking brilliance was proven.
No nation has ever sacrificed more for liberty. None has been more benevolent, righteous or prosperous. In the thousands of years of our dark recorded history, none has ever burned brighter than our relatively short-lived system. America is indeed exceptional.
It breaks my heart that current generations have lost sight of this. Because they have, our light has dimmed, and we face the very real threat of it being extinguished. In the past 250 years, we’ve been the last line of defense against tyranny. If our light burns out, humanity faces a dark future indeed.
No foreign enemy could ever take us down. America is too strong, even today. No, our threat lies within. And I don’t mean just within our borders; it lies within ourselves.
Today, true freedom, objective truth and the inherent values that have formed the bedrock of our society are disappearing. And when they go, so too will liberty disappear off the face of the earth. Many still value these things, but it seems that—in the shortsighted quest for “likes” and more of life’s luxuries—not many are willing to speak up, fight, sacrifice, and die if necessary to defend them.
In just the past few decades, the size and overbearing control of our government—at every level—has grown exponentially. Even in my small, rural hometown of Blanco, Texas, our ordinances, regulations, restrictions, permits, fees, budgets, bureaucracy, taxes, etc., have exploded in size over the past 10 years. Multiply this in every governmental entity at every level, and you can see why our light is being snuffed out.
I’m sure most of the people driving this trend have meant well, but the fact is they’re clueless about what has made our nation the greatest in history. I’m baffled how they seem to think our greatness and prosperity over the past 250 years of freedom are but some accident, and now it’s up to them to somehow take control and limit our freedoms to protect us from ourselves. They are oh-so-sincere, but the arrogant ignorance of their mindset is breathtaking. Because of this, they’re the greatest and most insidious threat to liberty today. After defeating the British, George Washington was offered the role of King of America, and he steadfastly refused. How far we’ve fallen! Today, it seems that everyone in government, at every level, would eagerly grab this role for themselves if they could. They sure as hell act like it! It takes courage, wisdom and genuine selflessness to have power, and yet refuse to use it to dictate how others should live. Let us all pray for more leaders like George Washington, who use their influence to expand liberty instead of exerting control. We need that today more than ever.
America’s bright light of freedom has been but a quick flash, when seen on the long timeline of human history. It was bought with the blood of selfless sacrifice. We can never take it for granted.
If our generation doesn’t wake up and fight back, at every level, then we are to blame if it burns out.
Stand up for your values. Proclaim your faith. Never shy from speaking the truth, and never back down. Push back against the growth of government, and anyone who would seek to control your life and limit your God-given dreams and potential.
Liberty is not partisan or political; it’s bigger and more important than that. Let’s not be the ones who lose it. It’s worth whatever it costs, for our generation and all those to come.
