The Freedom We Enjoy

Guest author Dan Golden

This article first appeared in “Stamping Around,” the newsletter of the Mid-Cities Stamp Club (Texas), and is reprinted here with permission of the author and the “Stamping Around” editor.

Over the last decade or so, it would seem as if America is slowly pulling itself apart at the seams. Our last three presidential elections have been marked by controversy at best, and violence at worst. Sensationalist news outlets care more about clicks and views instead of quality content with honest journalism. Combined with algorithm-driven social media platforms, this has forced virtually every American into one camp or the other, either democrat or republican, forever pitted against one another with no middle ground. And the hatred and vitriol that has been spewed back and forth between our elected officials is disgraceful and only serves to divide us further.

But this is not limited to those in office. We are seeing it amongst ordinary people as well. My family, most of whom are democrats, has a family-wide group text chat. This year on the morning after the election, with Trump declared the winner, that group chat was sizzling with anger. Accusations of voter fraud, conspiracy theories of a stolen election, and even wishes of harm or death to the new president-elect were rampant in that group chat. Further comments included calling anyone who voted for Trump a “sexist, uneducated, fascist” (this was the cleanest comment I could find, use your imagination for some of the others).

            I found the same atmosphere at the office when I went to work that morning, with some co-workers labeling Trump voters as “traitors” and others calling Harris voters “mentally unstable”. Overall, there was gloating on one side and threats of violence from the other. I was appalled, not at the election’s results, but at the things being said and shared back and forth. Does this not resemble the same hateful speech seen four years ago when Biden defeated Trump, or even eight years ago when Trump defeated Hilary Clinton?

I cannot help but wonder, what happened to us? Have we not learned our lesson? Have we not figured out how to come back together, post-election, as Americans who love their country and their fellow countrymen? If we have not, how can we ever expect to heal and grow? How can we ever expect to be anything other than the house divided against itself that Lincoln so aptly warned us about?

With that in mind I would like to use this article to attempt the impossible: bridge the chasm that divides us and remind us of what we all share as Americans. I want to bring us all together in the best way I know how, by talking about stamps.

I recently came across the Norman Rockwell souvenir sheet, US #2840, which depicts a set of his paintings known as The Four Freedoms. Painted during World War II, each portrays an ideal for which ordinary Americans had gone overseas to defend abroad.

            At the time of their release, these paintings had an inspirational effect that galvanized the American people and focused their energy behind a singular cause: the war effort. We as a country all rallied around the flag as one united people. Black or white, man or woman, we all recognized one another first and foremost as Americans who were with us in the fight. Given the current climate of our country (and that I’m writing this on Veteran’s Day) I think it would be wise to reflect on these ideas again and remember what it is that those men fought and died for.         

   There is the Freedom of Speech. We have the freedom to share our viewpoints and communicate our ideas with others without the fear of condemnation. We have a press that is  (ideally) free from censorship or added political agendas. When something bothers us we have every right to speak up and let our opinions be known without the fear of retribution. We are able to make our voices heard.          

  There is the Freedom of Worship. We are free to worship according to whatever creed we choose to believe in. No one can tell us or force us to follow one faith over another. We all have a right to choose what we believe and worship whatever God in whatever manner we prefer. Not only do we expect such a personal choice to be accepted, but we expect that our right to choose our own faith protects us from religious persecution.

            There is the Freedom from Fear. This stamp depicts two children being peacefully tucked in bed by their parents, while the father holds a newspaper with a headline describing the horrors of The Blitz. Despite the bombing and destruction across the pond, these two children are able to rest easy without fear because they know they will not wake up tomorrow with the war on their doorstep. They know they are safe and secure.

            Before moving on, I would like to point out that in some ways it almost appears as if we have taken a step back as a society. Facebook puts certain individuals in “Facebook jail,” temporarily blocking their accounts for posting something that they do not approve of. More broadly, we have seen the rise of “Cancel Culture” from social media in which people who act or speak in a manner deemed unacceptable by enough people are then silenced, boycotted, or otherwise shunned. People on one side of the aisle treat Jews and Muslims as though they are not fully human, while people on the other side of the aisle seem to view Christianity with disdain and wish to destroy it. For example, I have personally been called a “far-right extremist” for the radical crime of being Catholic. And these days, politicians stir up the populace with not-so-subtle warnings about fascist or communist dictatorships that would result from voting for the other party.

Unfortunately, the more politicians say such things, the more people will believe them. As a result, I am more fearful than ever that another civil war is brewing around the corner. Not to mention, ongoing conflicts across the world in Ukraine and Gaza, and further tense relations with Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea threaten to pull us into another war as well. Indeed, it seems as if each of these three here-to-fore mentioned freedoms is under attack in some way.

            But allow me to move on to the fourth freedom, the Freedom from Want. Depicted on this stamp is a multi-generational family gathered around the table for what appears to be a Thanksgiving dinner. As Thanksgiving approaches in our own lives, I believe we all ought to take a step back from the divisive political headlines, the fallout from the election, and instead take a moment to consider everything we have to be grateful for. We live in a free society. Despite how we may feel toward certain politicians from one party or another, we live in a country that values our opinion and gives us a means to seek and accomplish change. If you are  among those who are upset by the results of this latest election, take a moment to be thankful that we live in a democratic society in which your voice can be heard and our politicians can be voted out of office! The freedom we enjoy as Americans is something so few people throughout history have ever experienced. God has blessed us in ways that billions of people around the world can only dream of, and billions more throughout the centuries could never have imagined.

            These freedoms that we fought for in World War II are just as pertinent to our lives today as they were back then. We owe it to the courage and sacrifice of good men who believed in what they fought for since 1776, through the Civil War, both World Wars, and even right up to the present day. We enjoy the same freedoms today and share the same responsibilities to build a more perfect union, not let ourselves be divided into opposing camps led to believe those on the other side will destroy what we hold sacred. It is a union built of the people, by the people, and for the people. It is the people, everyday Americans like you and me, seeing each other as equals and respecting our differing yet equally valid viewpoints, who are essential to the survival of our union.

            Name-calling does not help. Gloating does not help. Threatening violence does not help. The way we treat each other goes a long way toward our collective healing. I personally do not care who you voted for, and I hope you do not care who I voted for either. At the end of the day, regardless of our political leanings we must learn to respect each other and come back together after an election as divisive as these last three have been. In the tense political atmosphere of our day, may we always remember that we are not democrats or republicans. We are first and foremost Americans who are tasked with respecting our shared freedoms. Let us never forget that.

About the Author

Arriving late to the philatelic game, Dan Golden picked up the hobby at the age of 26 and fell in love with it immediately. A fan of mail from the day he was born, Dan has been collecting stamps since 2021. His collection includes stamps from the United States, Ireland, Germany, and Vatican City. His particular areas of philatelic interest include baseball, hockey, ships, maritime themes, maps, trains, architecture, and Christmas. Beyond stamps, he is a lover of sports, reading, and learning new things. Dan lives with his wife and daughter near Dallas, TX.