What might we lose?

Due to my work, I have had the opportunity to travel widely in many parts of the world. I’ve spent significant time in most all of the Asian countries as well as most of the Eastern and Western European countries. In addition, on two separate occasions I was privileged to live in the country of Hungary.

Therefore my interactions with citizens of those countries are numerous. What stands out most is that so many of the people I talked with expressed a desire to live and enjoy the freedoms that we take for granted here in the United States.

For example, in Hungary many people were awed by the opportunities that we have to work where we want, live where we want, travel where we want, freely express our thoughts, worship as we please and, in general, not be treated as servants of the state. One woman expressed it this way, “But for the accident of birth I could have been born in the U.S.”

In general, the myriad expressed sentiment was one of an aspiration to live the same way we do. Those who were religious relished the notion of “freedom of religion” as opposed to “freedom from religion.” Those who disagreed with their government’s actions wished for a safe way to express their views. I have no doubt that their advice to us would be to be a caution not to lose what they never had.

James Nimnicht

Loon Lake, Wash.