Finding Freedom through Community

The past week on the Free Coast reminded me exactly why moving to New Hampshire was the best thing our family ever could have done.

Being a member of the liberty movement can be discouraging at times. It’s easy to wonder if the whole thing is pointless. The looming specter of an ever-growing state combined with the ongoing “drama” perpetuated by the movement’s most vocal members on social media can be downright dreary.

But on the ground here in New Hampshire? It’s a different case all together.

Last Sunday, six liberty loving families got together on one of the many stunning beaches of New Hampshire for an impromptu birthday celebration. Parents universally treated their children with dignity, and were able to trust that everyone involved understood that people are best when left to be free. Five of these families were free state project movers – people so dedicated to finding a like-minded community that they picked up and moved from all over the US to live near one another and raise their children with others who share their values.

While effecting long term change here in New Hampshire is a goal of everyone involved in the Free State Project, it’s not the only goal by which we measure success. First, and perhaps most important, we measure success by how much freedom and fulfillment we’re finding during our one shot here on Earth. If you ever find yourself wondering why you can’t find other liberty-minded families in your area, or feeling concerned that the people in your child’s neighborhood or school are trying to convince them that their parents are crazy, why wouldn’t you just move to New Hampshire and help us create the liberty community we all dream of being a part of?

Finding Freedom through Activism

While forming community is the principal goal (at least for me), there are no shortage of activism opportunities as well. Just two short days after our birthday get together, local activists were supported by activists from Concord and Manchester to participate in jury outreach at the Strafford County Court House. Joel Valenzuela of Rights Brigade brought tri-fold brochures to help jurors learn about their right to proceed according to their conscience and nullify bad laws to keep good people out of jail. Prospective jurors were almost universally receptive to receiving the materials, with only a few not accepting the pamphlet, and many others openly expressing their approval.

Now, not everything is perfect in New Hampshire, and that’s okay. That’s why it’s the Free State Project, and not just the Free State. But what better can we do for our families, for the future of our children, and for our own financial and emotional well-being than get together with other like-minded people and be the change that we wish to see in the world?

If you’re not here, it means you’re some place else. Why are you some place else?

Photo credit: Activist Randy Clemens, who is sadly not pictured! Check out his site here.