Paying dues

In the long history of civilizations, economic and political freedom is a very recent thing, more so than we tend to realize. 99.9% of all men that have lived did not live a single day in a free society where everyone is born with equal right to pursue whatever he sets to pursue as long as his pursuit doesn't intervene others'. We owe it to the philosophers and soldiers and statesmen and all the unsung heroes who have risked lives and spilled blood to fight in the name of freedom, and we owe it to them to pass the torch to those who come after us.

Any way you see it, this is a bargain for us.