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"He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor."
-1 Corinthians 3:8Â
  Let's play a game. It is called "Would You Rather". Here we go. Would you rather have liberty, which would require responsibility on your part, or a life manipulated by others, thus freeing you of any responsibility? I suspect most of you would choose the former.   The inconvenient truth, however, is that lasting liberty cannot exist without responsibility. If you want freedom to make decisions for your family, career, education, government, et cetera, you must be responsible. Seems elementary, right?   Alas, anyone who does research (or for that matter interacts with people on a regular basis) would uncover a frightening realization that responsibility is lacking among those who posses a great amount of freedom. In the United States, Americans possess this type of freedom, yet, one could argue, they do not accept the responsibility necessary for maintaining this freedom.   A study showed that only about 34% of adults can name three branches of the federal government, much less know how they work. A Pew Research Center survey released in April of 2015, discovered that 38% of voters had never heard of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, (D-MA). An Allstate/National Journal Heartland Monitor survey found that, "41% of Americans do not participate very often in any of 10 bedrock activities of American civic and political life." Furthermore, most voters believe that our budget issues could be solved by simply raising taxes!   I am not writing this to frighten you, rather to make you aware. Older generations complain about the younger generations lack of patriotism and knowledge. And they have a point, teenagers like David Hogg and Emma Gonzalez are advocating for political reform that is unfactual and, for the most part, entirely based off of emotion.   When was the last time you read the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, or the Bill of Rights? Not to mention, the Federalist or Anti-federalist papers. I can not recall how many times people have told me that their knowledge on politics was lacking due to lack of interest, lack of time, or because they were not yet able to vote.   Look, I understand. You may not be interested in politics, have enough time, or old enough to vote. However, as I have matured I have realized that part of maturity is doing things I need to do, not because I feel like doing it.   I have also heard, "Why does it matter that I vote? Will my one vote really impact the election?" They are right. One vote will not change the election. Anyone who understands the electoral college system will know that a Presidential candidate does not win by popular vote either. Rather, the candidate wins by securing an absolute majority of 270 electors of 538 in total.   Let me just bring in simple math. You will find the quantity of one sixty million times in the quantity of sixty million (60,000,000÷1=60,000,000). Ultimately, one may seem inconsequential. Nonetheless, it is the principle of the matter that is important. How much impact do single individuals have upon others? Even if you are not a celebrity, you interact with family, co-workers, church members, peers, or strangers every day. What's more, most people with social media have accumulated hundreds of followers.   Our founding fathers knew that a free society could never be maintained unless the people were actively responsible for its well being. Thomas Jefferson remarked, "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and what never will be." In the words of Phillip Romulo: "Freedom is precious-defend it...."   If you do not want to accept the responsibility you as an individual have for the liberty you enjoy in this great nation, you will always find an excuse to be passive. I accept the fact that I can not force anyone to think like me. That would be disastrous journey to embark upon. Notwithstanding, Jordan Peterson made a statement I will never forget. "You can't change other people but you can change yourself."   Lasting liberty and responsibility can never be separated. Patrick Henry so famously declared, "Give me liberty, or give me death." He held a conviction that liberty was much more precious than life itself. This one man took responsibility, stood up, declared his position in the face of his opposition, and has inspired thousands of Americans since.   Hopefully now you are asking yourself this question, "What can I do to maintain this liberty God has blessed me with?" I would advise you to simply do these things: cherish good values, educate yourself, exercise you God given rights, and endeavor to inspire those you interact with to do the same. "Freedom rests and always will on individual responsibility, individual integrity, individual effort, individual courage, and individual religious faith." -Anonymous