A time to reflect on the gifts of freedom

The July 4 holiday is just past us and I had time to reflect on the spirit of the occasion.

As the citizens of the United States of America celebrated the day, the citizens of Culpeper were making history once again. The many celebrations were well planned and well organized.

Our community is a great place to be on July 4.

The day came alive to me in a different way last week. I had the rare opportunity to watch young Navy and Marine pilots receive their wings as military aviators. The new pilots received orders to deploy to bases throughout the United States and around the world.

These young men were characterized in the ceremony as our nations’ best. They were selected and trained to fly some of the most sophisticated aircraft in the world.

Like every soldier in the American military, their mission, creed, and passion is focused on protecting the United States of America.

These young patriots continue in the bravery of our forefathers and their strong desire for freedom on that Fourth of July long ago. They pave the way for our nation to lead the world in every category. Economics, education, commerce, individual rights, research, sports, medicine and on and on.

“No time in history has one country, government, or people contributed as much to the individual, a nation, or the world like the Untied States of America” said David Jones, Culpeper Chamber of Commerce board chairman.

These events inspired in me a new respect for our freedom and the meaning of July 4. It is about the price of freedom. It is about the gift of freedom. It is about the hope of freedom. It is about the power of freedom. It is about the love of freedom.

The United States of America is a free nation with all of the opportunity associated with it. We have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We have the grace of the Almighty and the power of the American military to thank for the preservation of these freedoms.

Though July 4 impressed upon me the attributes of freedom, it spoke most loudly to me of the responsibility of freedom. One of my favorite paraphrased passages sums it up “with great gifts comes great responsibility.”

I often look for thoughts and reasons for increasing motivation toward excellence. There are few greater reasons for motivation towards excellence than to understand our freedom. It is our most precious personal and national resource.

As business, this freedom gives us the foundation to succeed. We have the opportunity to create and develop products and services that meet the market demand. We have the protection of laws that we have a voice in making. We are free to vote to elect the local, state, and federal governing officials that make the policies to enable our business opportunities.

It is our responsibility to keep in touch with these officials to make the interests of the business community a priority.

Culpeper is a community that I am proud of. We celebrate the American military and our veterans and every opportunity. We celebrate our diversity. We embrace healthy debate for improving our community. We are resourceful when the economy deals us a challenging hand. We are an industrious community with high standards and a “get it done” work ethic.

Jim Charapich is president of the Culpeper County Chamber of Commerce. His columns run every Monday.