A Measly Spot in Time

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”  ~ Ronald Reagan 

America is probably the most unique country the world has ever seen.  If you don't believe me, just go on down to your public library and start reading world history.  I have a world history timeline that I unfold and show to my history students every year. A timeline is a graphic representation of events usually presented in  chronological order. (To get a good idea of what one looks like, here is an example.)

 The timeline I show my students is quite extensive, and every year I have to admire the workmanship and research put into it.  It charts world history from its earliest known origins to almost present day.  It also shows events that have occurred on every part of the planet, from Asian cultures to American.  It is an incredible representation. As a matter of fact, I just happened to find a small part of the timeline here.  Take a look:

The image above is from the timeline  "Wall Chart of World History" by Edward Hull.  This graphic representation can be unfolded to its 30 foot length and each line of this representation is a different part of the world.

Now, here's the scary part.

If you take a look at the very end of this unfolded 30 foot timeline and  representation of world history, you will see something interesting.  Take a look at this:

The circled area above represents something very important.  This area represents the most freedom that humans have ever had in recorded world history.  This is the only spot in time, on this part of  a measly planet, (which is located out in the middle of nowhere) that people have had control over their lives.  This is a tiny space in the history of the entire world wherein people can call their leaders public servants, own weapons to protect themselves from enemies, build businesses without encumbrances, worship God in the manner that they so desire,  and have their own will in the way that they live their lives.  

The entire rest of this massive 30 foot timeline represents tyrannies, oligarchies, monarchies, dictatorships, war, suffering and slavery the likes of which we can only imagine.  It represents the only time on a world scale that a government was created for the benefit of the people rather than the benefit of a single ruler or small collection of privileged people.  A unique system that has every counter balance in place so as to protect the freedoms and liberties of the people it is sworn to uphold, even from their own mob-rule.  

That red circle represents the United States of America.