A nation that lives in liberty operates differently than a nation that lives in bondage. Lets think back to the founding of the United States of America. The Pilgrims who sought liberty from religious persecution started a completely independent society to escape a form of bondage. Decades later, the Revolutionary War was fought for the express purpose of achieving liberty and freedom from the unlawful external restraint of the British government.
The founders of America understood that for a nation to be successful, and for a nation to thrive under the principles of liberty, its people had to be free to make their own choices, to assume responsibility for their actions, and accept the consequences, be they good or bad. Nations made up of individuals that govern themselves have a greater degree of liberty and require less external constraints than societies made up of individuals who do not govern themselves.
The recent global economic meltdown exemplifies the abandonment of the principles of liberty. Those in control of financial institutions neglected to govern themselves and their actions, made reckless choices, and were unwilling and unable to accept the consequences. The governments of the world, to "avoid total financial collapse," stepped in, and will now dramatically increase their governance over the financial sector. The financial sector was not able to govern itself, so it will now be governed by an external source. This pattern has been, and will continue to be repeated as ungoverned, unprincipled people fail to act responsibly.
That is why it is essential that all people around the world learn the principles of liberty. All must learn to govern themselves rather than depend on others to govern them, because those seeking to usurp liberty know that the best way to keep somebody a slave is to make them think they are free.
You cannot value a liberty you do not understand. If you do not value it, you will not be willing to pay a price to preserve it, and you cannot preserve a liberty you do not understand. Liberty is not won easily, and is not preserved complacently.
To determine how much liberty a society has, just look at it its individuals. Are they able to govern themselves under the universal principles of natural law? Do they take responsibility for their actions and accept the consequences? Or are they dependent on external governance? If they are looking for someone else to assume responsibility for them, or if they want someone else to accept the consequences for the things they do, they are not living in liberty.
Here is some good and bad news. The bad news is that liberty will be lost if the people do not work to preserve it. The good news is that liberty can be won back if the people as a whole understand and work towards applying the principles of liberty in their lives, families, communities, cities, and nation. The power of liberty, or the complacency of bondage, lies in the hearts and minds of individuals. People who live in liberty think differently than people who live in bondage.
The preservation and sustainment of Liberty depends on you. It's time to discover liberty or lose it.