We have been living in Southern California for nearly 21 years, and I have noticed something interesting about those who were born here. They complain if the temperature is down to 60F in winter, and I have one friend who even gets depressed if it’s a cloudy day. It often doesn’t rain for six months. This is because many of them think that the rest of the world has weather like this. We get day after day of windless days and cloudless skies. That’s not what the rest of the world is like.
I come from the South Island of New Zealand. It has weather that’s similar to San Francisco. Wind, rain, clouds, and storms are normal. When it’s a cloudless day with a deep blue sky, everyone talks about what a nice day it is. No one does that in Southern California. They take the good weather for granted.
Recently, I have been watching World War II in HD, and have been brought to tears at the thought of the sacrifice made by so many, so that we could have liberty. If their blood hadn’t been shed we would be speaking German or Japanese, rather than English and we certainly wouldn’t have what we have today. These courageous men and women gave their lives so that we could live in a country that gave individuals freedom.
The United States is a country where books can be freely given out in universities. It’s a country that allows those who want to, to rip out portions they don’t like, or to burn them, and there’s no fear of any repercussions. We can even get onto a soapbox and have the free exchange of ideas. These are wonderful liberties that many other countries don’t have. They are freedoms that came to us at great cost, and we must never take them for granted.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
