Land of Free

Once upon a time there was a beautiful mass of land called Free, and it was good. Free was lonely, so it invited oceans of water to surround its shores, and it was good.  The ocean waters washed tiny sea creatures in their shells upon the shores, and Free loved it. 

Both Free and the oceans decided that rocks were needed, and they built mountains, and it was good. The mountains were lonely, so they asked trees to grow throughout the land, and it was good. The trees swayed in the wind and as they grew, invited flowers and vegetation to grow, and it was good. As the flowers bloomed, they invited bees to drink of their nectar. The bees invited other insects to feast upon the vegetation, and it was good.

Free looked around one day and thought the grass needed animals to graze upon it. Many animals of varied types came to live in the mountains, the oceans, and the fields of flowers, and it was good.  

Free noticed how beautiful its landscape had become. It felt sad that no living human was witness to the beauty and freedom found within its borders, so it invited ancient tribe people to come live on Free.  The different tribes made their home upon Free, and it was good. They planted many vegetables, worked the ground, used the animals for food and textiles and cherished all that was Free.

Free was extremely proud that the ancient tribe people understood the sacredness of Free. The two lived in harmony, and Free brought forth its many riches, and yes, it was good.

One day, people from other lands discovered Free. Seeing all the beauty and abundance, they decided to make Free their home, too. Free opened its arms wide and welcomed these new people. Free encouraged the ancient tribes to do the same. Friends were made, and it was good.

The new people were seeking exactly what Free offered – a place to live and believe as they felt led about their God. The people began to build their homes using the wood from the trees on the land, domesticate the animals to help with their work, and plant more vegetables for food. The ancient tribe people gladly shared their knowledge with the new people in exchange for new practices brought from other lands, and it was good.

As the people built more and more colonies, more people came from other lands to join them, and it was good. In time, Free realized that they also brought their need for power and greed. This saddened Free, but felt that in time, the new people would understand that there was plenty for all.

As greed was allowed to spread, the new people and ancient tribe people became unfriendly with one another. Homes and villages were destroyed. Women and child were abused and killed. This grieved Free greatly. The people wanted more and more, and their greed had no end.

They began to think less and less of the care of Free, and only about their needs and wants. They used Free’s resources with no thought of replenishment. The ancient tribe people had been forced to leave their original land and move to new territories where the land was barren, rocky, and dry. Even though they lived in poverty, they still cherished Free. 

As the years passed by, the new people decided laws were needed for Free, and that it also needed an official name. The men gathered and wrote the laws for this new land, and gave Free a new name – America, the land of the Free. Their new laws spoke of many freedoms the people were entitled to, and they believed it was good.

Free, now called America, was hopeful that unity would return, and the peoples would again live in harmony with one another. Sadly, it was not to be. More land and goods were taken and made. A trade system was developed using paper money they printed. The more printed money they had; the more was craved. They stored up their riches and even enslaved people to do the work needed for all their accumulations. Wars were fought between groups of people who disagreed with one another over enslavement. Many lives were lost, but eventually those enslaved were freed. America, was encouraged that a turn back to Free was starting to take place.

Businesses and towns grew and turned into large cities. They developed industrial tools, and America began to look less and less like itself, but life was thriving. Cautiously, America remained hopeful.

The people, now established, became wealthier and wealthier with every year. They developed many amazing technologies that helped the people of the land live long lives and thrive. It seemed their skills and knowledge had no limits. America became known as the greatest in the world.

However, due to continued lack of proper care, America began to fall ill. The air was full of smog, the waters were dirty and full of pollutants, and the soil tainted by chemicals. The people even began to fall ill with unknown diseases. America wept and its tears flooded the land.

Even though the people experienced the trials of wars, financial ruin, weather, famine, and disease, they began to deny entry to America based on greed. They forgot how they had come to America looking for opportunities. No law had kept them away, yet they felt entitled to deny the same privilege. Discord rose among the people and caused separation of families and friends.

On one particularly trying day, America took a good long look around, and remembered when it was Free, full of beautiful trees, mountains, and clear water washing upon its shores. When the new people and the ancient tribes helped one another. It had been good. America recognized that the people had become blind and careless. How had they gotten so far away from their original intent? Did they not see the hypocrisy in their actions and beliefs?

America knew at its core; it was still good and Free. Not knowing what to do, America turned inward and called upon Free for help.

“What is the cure?” America asked. Free, who had never left, knew all along the only thing needed to make America good again was love.