I don’t want to hurt feelings in this story. In the land of the free, or America, we disagree about a lot of little things. We are a proper mess. When I think about the land of the free, America is not the first thing that pops up in my mind. Something entirely different runs through me. Old memories of my favorite times. I’m afraid these times won’t exist anymore. I don’t think people will ever truly be free.

We make up an allusion to keep us at peace. It worked for a while. Slaves were free and women got to vote, but we are entering a rough patch. This freedom we think we possess was never really ours and if it was it would be taken away the minute we got it.

There are people in the world that are not free at all. I used to feel very blessed to live in a nation that does not have to wake in fear that this might be their last day on earth. Gun violence has changed my view on this very much. Most people believe that to be free you should be able to carry your own weapon. The right to be free, for me, is to be able to live and go to school, or a mall and not be afraid that the man or woman behind you will put a bullet through your head.

We live in a world of secrets and going in at full force without knowing the whole story. America always has to be the hero. We see other countries fighting their own battles and think we can step in and play peace keeper. All we bring is more destruction and hate. We lose good men and women by doing this. These countries hate us because we always feel the need to control everything.

When I was little we would go to a small island off the side of North Carolina for the 4th of July. It was my favorite time of the year. I would stare at the stars waiting for the fireworks to burn through the entire sky. Everyone around me would be singing and dancing. “Over the land of the free and the home of the brave.” This is what I picture when you say land of the free. Where there is no war, or hate. Where there is only light and peace. A time and place where no one got hurt.