One of my favorite aspects of being in school for naturopathy was studying the lives of early American physicians, men such as Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, who was not only a brilliant medical reformer but also a master herbalist.
Rush believed that healing and liberty went hand in hand. He once warned that “unless we put medical freedom into the Constitution, the time will come when medicine will organize into an undercover dictatorship.”
And now that the fireworks have lit up the sky, I’ve felt that same stirring in my spirit, the one that reminds me that the fight for freedom didn’t end with a signature in 1776.
The Declaration was signed.
The battles were fought.
But that was only the beginning.
True freedom, soul freedom, generational freedom, and freedom of body and mind are things we must still choose.
Every. Single. Day.
It’s easy to forget that America was forged in resistance. In risk. In grit. Ordinary farmers, blacksmiths, midwives, and yes, physicians, became warriors of principle.
Not because they craved war.
But because they refused to be ruled.
While we waved flags and lit sparklers this 4th of July, I couldn’t help but wonder…
Are we still fighting for freedom? Or have we fallen asleep, lulled by convenience and comfort?
Here’s the truth that many have forgotten:
Freedom is never handed to us.
It is carved out of courage.
Guarded by sacrifice.
And lived out, daily.
We fight when we reject the systems that numb us, silence us, and sell us poison wrapped in packaging that says “normal.”
This is still a revolution.
And you were born for such a time as this.
As we remember the likes of Rush, Dr. Josiah Bartlett, and other physician-patriots who saw healing as both a science and a stand for liberty, let us not forget the sacred fight behind the celebration.
And live like our freedom and our children’s future depend on it.
