In my lifetime, I have known true freedom. Up until about my fifteenth year living in the countryside, I experienced absolute freedom. This was, of course, made possible by others who had less freedom than I did… my mother and father. They provided food, a roof over my head, and the other things needed to live a life free of hardship and struggle. They were able to provide this for me by following the expected “path” of an American at that time.
Though I had worked on the water since age ten, a small commercial fishing boat (quahog/clams), in the summers, it was by choice, completely free, clear, fun and exciting. At age fifteen I began to unknowingly leave freedom behind. I began to ask for permission. I asked for permission and was granted a driver’s license. I also asked for and received a social security number (SSN).