In recent years, our world has seen a rise in nationalism and the political policies that accompany it. This trend is understandably concerning to many. After all, it was extreme nationalism and nefarious military expansions that led to both the First and Second World Wars—the most destructive and deadly conflicts in human history.
In the wake of these recent geopolitical developments, nationalism and patriotism have become conflated in the minds of many. This is unfortunate because patriotism and nationalism are not the same thing. In the words of the educator, E.D. Hirsch, Jr., who in-turn references the work of Benedict Anderson, a historian and political scientist:
Freedom Focused does not encourage or support the kind of nationalism defined by Hirsch, Jr., above; but we are very much in support of patriotism!
I am a dedicated patriot of my homeland.
Patriotism is an important principle and practice.
Because the degree of positive (or negative) emotion you feel for any group of which you are a part will usually translate commensurately into the degree of passion and personal effort (or lack thereof) you will contribute to that group. Thus, patriotism strengthens your resolve to do your best as an individual, which, in-turn strengthens whatever nation, state, city, community, organization, group, team, or family within which you play a role.
Nations and other organizations and groups are more successful when individuals within an entity are patriotic members of that nation, organization, or group.
Individuals should strive to be the very best they can possibly be, not just for their own sakes, but for the benefit that their positive efforts and contributions will have on larger entities of which they play a part. Families, communities, companies, schools, and yes, even whole countries should do no less in order to make the world a better place for all of us. In the words of Nick Saban, the most successful college football coach of all time: Everything is determined by what you do and [your efforts] to be your best—so that you can build on positive performance. Nothing is acceptable but your best." (3)
I am, by nature, a very patriotic person. Not only do I have a special love for my country, the United States of America—where I was born, raised, and have lived most of my life—but I also have a special love for the United Kingdom, which is the place from which most of my ancestors emigrated to British Colonial America. I also have a bachelor's degree in English, so many of my academic heroes and mentors hail from the British Isles. I also have a special love for Canada because I lived there for four years and got to experience the incredible natural beauty and human goodness that exists throughout that picturesque continent-spanning nation. I feel a further connection to Denmark, the country from which my paternal forebears brought my surname (Jensen) to the United States.
These feelings of patriotism also extend toward my home state of Florida, and my previous home states of New Mexico, Texas, Georgia, Utah, Washington, and Arizona.
In the words of a twentieth century religious leader:
Next to the bestowal of life itself, the right to direct that life is God's greatest gift to man. Freedom of choice is more treasured than any possession Earth can give. Everyone has this most precious of life's endowments—the gift of free agency—man's inherited and inalienable right. (4)
"Next to the bestowal of life itself,
the right to direct that life is God's greatest gift to man.
Freedom of choice is more to be treasured than any possession Earth can give. Everyone has this most precious of life's endowments—the gift of free agency—man's inherited and inalienable right."
—David Oman McKay
Liberty is one of the unique and valuable variables that existentially elevates us above the rest of the animal kingdom. Fortunately, many nations around the world, including the United States, place a premium on the value of personal and professional liberty. Unfortunately, many other nations do not.
 |
Statue of Winston Churchill
overlooking Big Ben in London |
The founders of the American republic, working in concert with regular, albeit noble, common citizens, purchased this liberty with great quantities of "blood, toil, tears, and sweat" (5) expended during the American Revolution. This harrowing and refining process was replicated on countless additional occasions throughout our history, including during the dark days of World War I and II.
"I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat."
—Winston Churchill
Liberty was passionately and powerfully championed by American Patriots during their revolutionary struggle against Great Britain. In the stirring words of Patrick Henry, a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1775:
 |
Patrick Henry
1736-1799 |
"Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" (6)
Since her earliest days, America has proven to be one of the world's great gateways to liberty. For over four centuries now, people from all corners of the globe have emigrated to the "New World" in hopes of securing the opportunities that only personal and professional liberty could grant.
Then, in the modern world's darkest hours of world war, when freedom and democracy were thwarted and threatened by monarchy and oligarchy, and later fascism and genocide, the United States stepped up and stepped in to the heat of both conflicts to provide the money, resources, weaponry, soldiers, work force, leadership, and resolve to see the cause of liberty through to victory—not once, but twice in the span of just two generations.
A popular song of the first world war—Over There, by George M. Cohan—rang forth the famous refrain of our resolve:
"Hear them calling, you and me,
Every son of liberty.
Hurry right away,
No delay, go today...
"Over there, over there,
Send the word, send the word over there,
That the Yanks are coming,
The Yanks are coming,
The drums rum-tumming everywhere.
"So prepare, say a prayer,
Send the word, send the word to beware!
We'll be over, we're coming over,
And we won't come back till it's over, over there."
Written in 1917, shortly after America's entrance into the Great War, the leadership of Cohan's lyrical pen sounded the clarion call around the world. America did go "over there," and they didn't come back until the Allied forces had won both wars and, in the words of President Woodrow Wilson, made the world "Safe for Democracy" on two separate occasions in the brief span of less than thirty years!
 |
Churchill with Roosevelt, George C. Marshall
and others, during World War 2 |
Democracies aren't perfect. As Winston Churchill so cogently reminded us:
Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others that have been tried.
"Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others that have been tried."
—Winston Churchill
Churchill makes a savvy and practical point. However challenging democracy may prove to be in practice, it nevertheless represents the most successful form of secular government in this world. Why? Because democracy grants liberty and power to the PEOPLE.
When individuals have liberty, they are empowered to unleash their intellectual and creative potential. And when ultimate power rests securely in the hands of the many—as opposed to the few or the one—it becomes impossible for the few or the one to seize ultimate power.
The stirring lyrics of Cohan's famous ditty envelops me with patriotic pride from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet—not so much because of its clever lyrics and catchy tune, but because they were backed up by COURAGE and ACTION... two vital SAL characteristics that seem to be increasingly elusive commodities in our postmodern world where preaching is prodigious while practice too often proves either pathetically wanting or perversely misguided, when not entirely absent.
The Gateway to Personal Freedom
If liberal democracies provide gateways to personal liberty, Self-Action Leadership provides a gateway to personal freedom. This brings us to one of the single most important points of this entire textbook.
Liberty and freedom are interrelated concepts, but they are not the same thing. Consider, for example, the differences in the dictionary definitions of these two words:LIBERTY: The state of being free within a society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's own way of life, behavior, or political views.
FREEDOM: The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.
This Life Leadership textbook highlights, clarifies, and further illuminates these important differences and distinctions. We thus redefine both liberty and freedom as follows:
LIBERTY
Your right to life and the pursuit of happiness, as well as the freedom to choose
what you think about, say, and do—in conjunction with State-granted rights
such as freedoms of speech, religion, assembly, the press, etc.
FREEDOM
Personal liberties and opportunities earned as a result of expending effort
over time in submission to True Principles rooted in Universal Laws. (7)
Examples of the difference between liberty and freedom can be found all around us. Consider the following three (3) scenarios:
Example 1. I have the
liberty to put whatever I want into my body. I also have the liberty to exercise my body, mind, and spirit (or not). However, if I desire the
freedom of being physically healthy and fit, then I must pay the price determined by the Universal Laws upon which healthy living and physical fitness are predicated. The price of freedom set by Universal Law would require that I practice good nutrition, exercise regularly, get enough sleep, and avoid substances that are addictive and harmful. There is no other way to long-term health and wellness
—no matter what product advertisers may claim to the contrary.
Example 2. Anyone who has met basic requirements possesses the liberty to apply for entrance into various academic programs at a given school, college, or university. Whether or not an individual earns the freedom of acceptance into that institution, however, depends on the strength of one's grades, test scores, application, and/or audition.
Example 3. Any runner is at liberty to sign up to compete in most road races and marathons. Whether a runner earns the freedom to participate in the elite Boston Marathon, however, is dependent upon one's marathon time in an official qualifying race. To earn the freedom (privilege) of competing in this unique and famous distance running competition, one must pay the price in preparation and performance. This price includes a lot of training and other efforts and sacrifices related to health, fitness, and running.
Let's sum up...
Liberty is something you are given.
Freedom is something that you earn.
 |
The FREEDOM to summit a mountaintop
is magnificent, but comes with a PRICE. |
In a free society, everyone has the same certain liberties. But in that same free society, some people will inevitably enjoy a lot more freedom than others.
While some freedom may come in the form of unearned privileges (e.g. inheritance money from your forebears), most freedom must be earned the old-fashioned way over time.
There is no other way!
Liberty is your right to choose without the threat of an external enforcer hindering your speech or action. Freedom is your capacity to consciously RESPOND according to pre-determined values and decisions—as opposed to merely reacting to present moods, natural inclinations, or external circumstances. (8)
Liberty is the collective gift we all enjoy as a result of life itself and those who have sacrificed so much on the battlefield and beyond to enshrine liberty for the masses. Freedom, on the other hand, is the reward that individuals earn when they pay the price by disciplining and aligning their thoughts, speech, and behavior with True Principles rooted in Universal Laws.
Liberty is granted by God (and nature) and upheld by governments.
Freedom is earned by individuals though discipline, hard work, determination, and obedience to Natural Laws of Acquisition.
In addressing these two related, but not synonymous, concepts, it is vital to note that the liberty to choose must precede the freedom to achieve. You must first possess the right (liberty) to choose your thoughts, speech, and actions, before you can effectively direct (freedom) those thoughts, speech, and actions in the productive pursuit of growth, achievement, and success.
In other words, without liberty—the right to act and not to be acted upon—your freedom to expand your opportunities and otherwise grow and achieve in life will be commensurately curtailed. This is why I am so grateful to live in a land of liberty like the United States of America. It is also why Freedom Focused—which is laser-focused on freedom—places such a premium on individual agency (liberty).
This basic agency, or liberty, which all human beings possess, expands or contracts depending on the edicts of external governing bodies (e.g. constitutions, heads of state, legislatures, judiciaries, law enforcement, by-laws, policies and procedures, leaders, managers, teachers, parents, etc.). The more constricted one's liberties are, the less freedom one will be able to obtain. Likewise, the more expanded one's liberties are, the more freedom one will be able to secure. That is why it is absolutely essential to uphold, promote, and expand liberty—for it is liberty that empowers us to further expand our freedoms.
One leader and teacher explained it this way:
"A [person is at liberty] first when he belongs to a society which permits him the full development of his talents. If society deprives him of that development, he is to that extent [bereft of liberty]. Second, he is free when his own conduct permits the development of his talents. And, if he indulges in any conduct which places an obstacle in his own path, to that extent he is depriving himself of freedom. And you may look about you in this great country of ours [the United States] and find that the populace is increasingly enslaving itself on the basis of personal conduct." (9)
Exercising your personal liberty to be proactive (take initiative) rather than reactive (play the complacency card or victim's role) is the personification of personal power and leads to the expansion of personal freedom. It also largely determines the long-term extent of your influence on others.
It is possible to enjoy liberty without freedom. For example, all citizens of my country (the United States) enjoy the same basic liberties, at least in theory; these liberties are enshrined in the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, also known as the Bill of Rights. Some Americans, however, enjoy much more freedom than others.
Why is this?
There are many different reasons for this mismatched phenomenon, including, but not excluded to the quality and extent of a person's:
- Education
- Access to resources
- Attitude
- Determination
- Resilience
- Work ethic
- Self-reliance
- Creativity & innovativeness
- Integrity
- Proactivity
- Emotional Intelligence
- Vision
- Humility before True Principles and Universal Laws
As you look over this list, you will notice that YOU have almost complete control over every item. In fact, with the exception of education and access to resources, which may be limited based on where you find yourself at the beginning of your life, you really are in the driver's seat as a self-action leader. The question is: where will you choose to go; and how much will you choose to grow?
 |
Creative, proactive, and resilient people can find loopholes
to freedom even in the midst of physical captivity. |
Conversely, it is also possible to enjoy freedom without liberty. For example, American soldiers who became prisoners of war (POWs) in Vietnam had almost no liberty during their multi-year stints in the infamous Hanoi Hilton prisoner of war camp. Despite this severe truncation of their personal liberties, many of these creative, resilient, and determined soldiers achieved staggering feats of courage, acuity, and even education by exercising the mental, emotional, and spiritual freedoms the Viet Cong could not take away from them. (10)
The "V"—as the POWs referred to their captors—could deprive them of their physical liberties and torture their bodies. (11). They could also attempt to brainwash their minds, manipulate their emotions, and break their spirits. But in the end, they could not control or terminate the wills and responses of those who refused to relinquish their inner FREEDOM to resist. (12)
A famous World War II prisoner of war, Viktor Frankl, labored and suffered in Nazi concentration camps. Despite his abject circumstances and crushing captivity, Dr. Frankl found ways to enjoy more freedom than many of his fellow prisoners, and in a sense, even more freedom than his German captors.
How could he have possibly achieved such an incredible feat in the midst of such deprivation, indignity, and squalor? He did it by disciplining his mind and attitude to demonstrate immense courage in the face of intense pressures and debilitating fatigue. His courage, resolution, resilience, and vision were key contributors to surviving the terrors of life in a Nazi concentration camp.
 |
William Wallace
Died 1305 |
After his concentration camp was liberated by Allied soldiers, Frankl spent the next 50 years empowering others with a greater understanding of their internal resources and external potential to earn personal and professional freedoms by adhering to True Principles rooted in Universal Law.
History has judged Viktor Frankl to be one of the most compelling and influential psychiatrists of the twentieth century. Frankl clearly comprehended the powerful principle personified by the Scottish warrior William Wallace, who famously rallied his troops to claim their liberty from the oppressive English overlords with the fictional, but highly inspiring cinematic refrain: They may take our lives (or liberty), but they will never take our freedom! (13)
"They may take our lives (or liberty),
but they will never take our freedom!"
—William Wallace
(As depicted by Mel Gibson in the 1995 Hollywood movie, Braveheart)
There are many people who enjoy liberty, but are not truly free. This is because they have sacrificed their freedom on altars of selfishness, hedonism, gluttony, addiction, irresponsibility, narcissism, nihilism, deception, abuse/violence, etc. The cost of this poor use of liberty is staggering. It leads many to tragically live out their lives in voluntary bondage, so that they come to say in the end: I now see that I spent most of my life in doing neither what I ought nor what I liked. (14)
"I now see that I spent most of my life in doing neither what I ought nor what I liked."
—A lament of the unwise
From: The Screwtape Letters
By C.S. Lewis
Why would anyone willfully expend their precious resources of time and energy in such a way? The answer is that freedom is not free, nor is it easily attained. If it was, everyone would enjoy lots of it. The price of authentic freedom can only be paid in the currency of effort, courage, sacrifice, discipline, diligence, persistence, consistence, and endurance over long periods of time.
There
Is
No
Other
Way.
 |
Thucydides
Ancient Greek general and historian |
I recognize this may sound HARD. But that is okay because life is hard! It is good that some things are hard because doing difficult things is how we become strong and resilient over time.
It takes courage to do hard things; but if you are willing to exercise courage, you will discover the portals to both happiness and freedomIn the words of Thucydides: The secret to happiness is freedom. And the secret to freedom is courage.
"The secret to happiness is freedom.
And the secret to freedom is courage."
—Thucydides
If freedom was easily obtainable, everyone would enjoy massive amounts of freedom. But the reality is that some people are a lot freer than others, and the primary reason is that some people are simply willing to pay a higher price to earn it.
One of the greatest paradoxes of life and success is that personal freedom can only expand as individuals voluntarily submit their thoughts, speech, actions, attitudes, and beliefs to the edicts of True Principles rooted in Universal Laws. In other words, to become truly free, we must voluntarily bind ourselves in obedience to True Principles.
Like most truth, that is a paradox!
True freedom, therefore, can only come after you align your thoughts, speech, actions, attitudes, and beliefs with the tenets of both True Principles and Universal Laws. Adherence to True Principles empowers you to achieve, to become, and to gain the freedom necessary to realize your fullest potential.
There is no other pathway to true freedom and growth!
To obtain real freedom, you must pay the price that real freedom requires—a price that is typically high, heavy, and hard. Indeed, it takes great effort and enormous courage to earn real freedom. But for the courageous and determined, the rewards are both bountiful and residual; they include expanded opportunities, pleasures, prosperity, and perhaps best of all—peace of mind.
"Know this that every soul is free,
To choose his life, and what he'll be;
For this eternal truth is giv'n:
That God will force no man to heav'n." (15)
—Anonymous
An Educational Solution
I am not a politician, nor do I have any ambition of ever becoming one. As such, my talk of liberty, freedom, and patriotism does not stem from any desire to be elected to public office. Rather, it is all an outgrowth of those principles that I, as a regular citizen—and career educator—am sincerely passionate about and simply seek to teach and promote both pedagogically and popularly.
Because I am not a politician, and since I make a habit of not speaking professionally on topics of which I am not an expert, I did not write this chapter, book, or textbook in an effort to present or suggest a political solution to my nation's—and other nations—current cultural and political malaise; I will leave that to professional politicians, and I believe there are some among the rising generations who will prove themselves equal to the task.
If I am not an aspiring politician, then what am I?
 |
Like a math instructor, Dr. JJ teaches formulas...
albeit for successful living and working. |
First and foremost, I consider myself to be a TEACHER and a BUILDER. I love to teach people and build them up, and I adore constructing and/or fine-tuning messages and organizations.
I am also a leader, influencer, philosopher, poet, historian, archer, triathlete, sports enthusiast, husband, father, son, brother, colleague, associate, friend, and self-action leader. It is, therefore, through the lenses of construction, education, philosophy, poetry, history, archery, athletics, family, friendship, business, and leadership that I write, teach, mentor, coach, and consult.
It is through these lenses that I have produced the Self-Action Leadership Theory & Model over the course of two decades of diligent study and organization, not to mention four decades of action research, ambitious (and often agonizing) personal experiences, and the careful, conscientious, honest, and even obsessive consultations with my conscience.
 |
At Freedom Focused, we are builders...
of real lives and careers. |
The message I share in this work is a message of REAL hope and authentic change—not a political change that originates in Washington or Moscow, Brussels or Beijing; and not a false hope promised by charismatic idealogues propped up by special interest groups—but a real hope and an authentic change that can only be cultivated in the minds and hearts of individual men and women, boys and girls... one-at-a-time throughout the Western World and beyond.
If collective liberties are to be preserved and personal freedoms are to expand, this is the best—and really the only—way to bring it about. Real hope and change that lasts can never come primarily from an external source (aka governments). It can only happen in individual lives that are supported one-by-one in homes and classrooms—our two primary pedagogical targets at Freedom Focused.
Many years ago, I chose to dedicate my life and career to the CAUSE of FREEDOM through SAL and SERENDIPITY.
Why?
Because FREEDOM is really what Self-Action Leadership is all about. The end game of SAL is to consistently grow to expand your personal and professional freedoms in pursuit of happiness, growth, success, fulfillment, and most importantly—inner peace.
Fortunately, I am still a relatively young man with the second-half of my career still ahead of me. But that doesn't mean I can reach everyone by myself. Alone, I can do but little; but together, we can accomplish much to positively influence individuals, measurably impact organizations, reverse troubling cultural trends, and transform societal mores.
I call upon EVERYONE within the sound of my voice or the sight of my pen's ink to rise up and reclaim their birthright as human beings—even the birthright of liberty, which, if properly engaged, will lead to the expansion of personal, familial, organizational, regional, national, and even international freedom, growth, and renewal.
- As you answer the following questions, consider the Patriotism Principle with regards to the different roles you play in various groups, organizations, communities, regions, or nations.
- Are you a "Patriotic" member of your family, neighborhood, church, school, team, club, department, organization, city, county, state, nation, and world? Why or why not?
- What could you do to become a more patriotic member of the groups in which you are involved?
- Viewed in context of the differences between "liberty" and "freedom," how FREE (or not) are you presently in your life and career?
- What is something you could begin doing today to expand your personal and professional freedom?
- What could you to more fully promote, support, and uphold the liberty of your state or nation?
—Dr. JJ
Wednesday, January 24, 2024
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA
Author's Note: This is the 371st Blog Post Published by Freedom Focused LLC since November 2013 and the 183nd consecutive weekly blog published since August 31, 2020.
.........................
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Chapter 5 Notes
1. Hirsch, E.D., Jr., Kett, J.F., and Trefil, J. (2002). The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy. Completely Revised and Updated. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. Page viii.
2. Roosevelt, T. (1910). Citizenship in a Republic. Speech delivered at the Sorbonne in Paris, France on April 23, 1910.
3. Saban, N. The Importance of Nothing. YouTube URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKzsO4qdwcM
4. McKay, D.O. (1950). LDS Conference Report. Pages 32-33.
5. Titular phrase taken from Winston Churchill's first speech to the House of Commons after becoming Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Delivered on May 10, 1940.
6. Henry, P. (1775). The War Inevitable. Speech delivered to the 2nd Virginia Convention in St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia on March 23, 1775.
7. New Oxford American Dictionary (MacBook Air electronic version).
8. Covey, S.R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. New York, NY: Fireside. Page 71.
9. Smith, J.S. (1945 or 1946). Speech delivered to students at Brigham Young University on an unknown date and month.
10. According to POW Lee Ellis, "The lack of books or outside resources did not limit our continuous learning in POW camps. We relied on recall of past education, and where there was a lack of clarity on a subject, we tired to get a consensus of the best minds" (p. 123). Everything from calculus and public speaking to history, politics, philosophy, science, and foreign languages were taught amongst the prison mates. In Ellis's words: "It's remarkable how much talent [and knowledge] resided in that group of military men"(p. 122). See Ellis, L. (2012). Leading with Honor: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton. FreedomStar Media.
11. Shorthand for the Viet Cong. A nickname American POW's used to refer to their captors in the Vietnam War. See Ellis, L. (2012). Leading with Honor: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton. FreedomStar Media. Page 17.
12. For detailed descriptions of the horrors faced and successes achieved by Vietnam POWs in the "Hanoi Hilton," I highly recommend Lee Ellis's 2012 book: Leading with Honor: Leadership Lessons from the Hanoi Hilton. FreedomStar Media.
13. From the movie, Braveheart, directed by Mel Gibson (1995).
14. Lewis, C.S. (1995). The Screwtape Letters. New York, NY: Bantam.
15. Opening stanza of the Christian hymn: Know This, That Every Soul is Free.
