Freedom is costly

My memories of other 4th of July holidays are mostly filled with picnics and time with family. Today, my mom and I have layed low as we enjoy a few last sunny days in Malibu. It's really not worth going anywhere since half of California ends up on the Pacific Coast Highway. We went up to Heroe's garden this morning which is a dedication to the families of September 11th on the campus of Pepperdine University. There are some great quotes on freedom etched on the rocks of the garden. I had also ordered some books to read over the summer that were on my mental list of things I'd like to read someday. Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is a powerful reminder of the ability to choose to do good or evil. His final words in an earlier edition are, "After all, man is that being who invented the gas chambers of Auschwitz; however, he is also that being who entered those gas chambers upright, with the Lords prayer or the Shema Yisreal on his lips". For a man who endured the Holocaust to come away with an understanding that (even the same) man is capable of both great good and extraordinary evil is truly amazing. Frankl was known to give credit to the inner strength and personal responsibility that allowed prisoners and guards alike to choose their own attitude and response to a truly tragic situation. I also liked his take on freedom when he stated in a lecture after he survived, "I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast".