FREEDOM: The Engine That Brings Happiness, Innovation, and Prosperity

In the early morning of America’s Independence Day in 2025, my humble heart cried out to God with gratitude for the freedom we love and enjoy in America. Escaping from the cruelest communist regime of Khmer Rouge in 1975 and coming to the USA, the land of freedom and opportunity, in 1979, I thank God each day for the life I have here. When there is no freedom, there is no happiness. America’s motto says it all: “to pursue happiness, life, and liberty.” My heart is full today because of the freedom we enjoy here and spreading it abroad. As we drove through Sandy and Provo, listening to patriotic country songs celebrating America’s birthday, we passed homes with American flags fluttering proudly. Thousands of families joined the July 4th joy. A BIG shout out to Utah—the MOST patriotic state in the nation! Way to go, Utah! My wife, ready to drive to Provo, couldn’t see until I cleaned her glasses. She put them on and exclaimed, “Wow! I see much better now!” I grinned, “Now you have freedom to see!” Fighter jets soared in unison, forming maneuvers in the sky, filling me with pride to be an American. America, we love you.

A Land Preserved for Freedom

This freedom echoes a divine plan. The Book of Mormon reveals America as a “land of promise” preserved by God. Ether 2:7–12 describes the Jaredites’ journey to a land “choice above all other lands,” covenanted for those serving the “true and only God.” 2 Nephi 1:5–7 calls it a “land of liberty” for the Gentiles, fortified if faithful, while Ether 13:2–8 and 3 Nephi 21:4, 22–23 prophesy a New Jerusalem and the restoration’s base. This preservation, from Christopher Columbus’s inspired voyage (1 Nephi 13:12) to the 1830 gospel restoration, aligns with the Constitution’s 1787 Preamble: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” Freedom, a divine gift, fuels this land’s destiny.

Wars for Freedom

The war in heaven (Revelation 12:7–9), where Michael cast out Satan, mirrors America’s Revolutionary War (1775–1783), fought to secure liberty from Britain, sealed by the 1783 Treaty of Paris. The Constitution’s Bill of Rights, especially the 1st Amendment’s free speech, reflects this. Today, global conflicts like Russia-Ukraine and domestic censorship debates continue this fight. Elon Musk’s 2022 $44 billion Twitter buy, rebranded as X, restores a “digital town square” for open dialogue, countering suppression and igniting innovation—echoing my escape from Thailand’s silence to America’s voice.

The Industrial Engine of Prosperity

Freedom turned into prosperity during the American Industrial Revolution (late 1700s–early 1900s). Samuel Slater’s 1793 cotton mill, Éleuthère du Pont’s 1802 gunpowder works, and Andrew Carnegie’s steel empire (sold in 1901 for U.S. Steel) relied on immigrant ingenuity. Thomas Edison’s 1879 light bulb powered this growth, with over 14 million immigrants (1880–1920) fueling factories and railroads. By 1913, the U.S. led global industrial output, a prosperity I tasted moving from Khmer Rouge’s oppression to America’s opportunities in 1979.

The Engine That Drives All

Freedom is the engine that brings happiness, innovation, and prosperity. It lifted me from darkness to light, mirroring industrial immigrants’ rise. Musk’s Twitter move fosters digital innovation, while the Book of Mormon’s promise and the Constitution’s vision unite—freedom, divinely preserved, powers a nation and world to thrive. As fireworks light the night, let’s cherish and spread this liberty.

HAPPY JULY 4^TH EVERYONE!!!