The journalist and writer Naomi Wolf warns us that in recent years our leaders have deliberately, not accidentally, assaulted the premises of the Constitution, and freedoms we take so easily for granted that they are to us like air—invisible—may have been eroded beyond the possibility of repair in our lifetime.

Do we take our American liberty for granted the way we take our natural resources for granted, seeing both, rather casually, as being magically self-replenishing? How do we cultivate a sense of responsible, proud citizenship? We need to learn that liberty, like nature, demands a relationship with us in order for it to continue to sustain us.

Victoria Safford has served UU congregations in Massachusetts and Minnesota. She is the author of “Walking Toward Morning,” the 2003 UUA Meditation Manual and With or Without Candlelight: A Meditation Anthology. Together with the Rev. J.J. Flag, she currently holds a one-year position as co-chaplain for the UUA staff. She lives with her family in St. Paul.

Topics: Community, Togetherness, Current or Recent Events, Motivation/Inspiration