Why Every Day Is “Revolution” Day

I am soooo tired of reading pro-freedom commentary that begins, “After the revolution, I’ll [insert idea/plan here]”. Seems to me that kind of attitude is a perfect recipe for a lot of talking, and little, if any, actual doing.

Is it not abundantly clear that “the revolution” is not something that will sweep over us, but is something that we—if we’re serious about being free, anyway—will actively participate in? Many pro-freedom activists have said that the time for the revolution will not be right until economic hardship befalls the USSA; only that will awaken them sufficiently to start questioning BigGovCorp. Have they not noticed that that’s going on today? And not only that—oh, hey, look!: the revolution is occurring now!

Which is how it generally goes, of course. Untold numbers of smaller—yet vitally necessary—personal revolutions are conceived and birthed all the time. Some are purely philosophical; but sometimes, once that revolution has come, action-oriented ones follow. Without them all, the larger, more visible revolutions wouldn’t be possible. To wait for one of those larger waves to come by is to waste some amount of one’s life, just to be one in the vast blob of lemmings rushing to the sea. Why run the risk of getting carried somewhere that may not be the best place for you?

For some time now, the sidebar has sported a quotation from Saul Alinsky: “The greatest enemy of individual freedom is the individual himself.” My experiences—both directly and observing others—support that idea. We are afraid; we second-guess ourselves; we look around for someone else to step up, and too often we don’t step up ourselves. Part of that is somewhat natural. A lot of it is silly. So much of our too-brief lives will not go toward the pursuit of our dreams as it is—we don’t need to volunteer to enlarge it. Yet we do.

The freedom revolution breathes with every small step that each of us takes to sidestep unnecessary regulations and laws, to create or maintain voluntary relations and exchanges, to diminish the role of the state in our lives, and to get its claws out of our wallets. It thrives when we work toward our dreams.

So, as a counter to Mr. Alinsky’s truism, and in support of my cherished friend B.W. Richardson’s well-chosen themes, I offer a new quote, from Mike Hoy: “[F]reedom should be fun!” Doing freedom—being part of your own quiet (or raucous, as you prefer) revolution for liberty—is fun and inspiring and the best way to ensure a rich, satisfying life.