A spy was captured and sentenced to death by a general in the Persian army. Before execution, the general would go through a rather unusual ritual.

He would give the criminal a choice between the firing the squad or the big. black door. This spy was given the usual choice. He deliberated for a long time then finally decided on the firing squad.

Moments later his life was extinguished. The general turned to his aide and said, “They always prefer the known way to the unknown. It is characteristic of people to be afraid of the undefined. Yet, we gave him a choice.”

The aide himself did not know what fate lay behind the big, black door so he asked the general. “Freedom,” replied the general, “and I have only known a few brace enough to take it.”

Freedom can be a frightening endeavor. For too many choose familiar slavery rather than taking a risk for freedom. The founding fathers, revolutionaries, and colonists took a great risk when they decided to choose the big, black door.

Many years have come and gone since those brave leaders declared our independence and the experiment of democracy was born. Every day we must decide whether we will stay where we are in the comfortable “known” or risk the big, black door of the “unknown.”

Behind the big, black door…..Freedom!

This is my story…