WILL THAULT: Freedom Month Part 4: Freedom from fear

By Will Thault

Editor’s Note: Will Thault — in celebration of “Freedom Month” — is taking a look throughout the month of July at President Franklin Roosevelt’s famous “Four Freedoms” speech. For a look at Norman Rockwell’s “Four Freedoms” illustrations based on Roosevelt’s words, follow this link: Norman Rockwell Four Freedoms paintings inspired by Franklin Roosevelt.

Freedom from fear. To some, this may seem an odd idea. Fear from what?

President Franklin Roosevelt defined it in “world terms” by adding, “(Freedom from fear) means a worldwide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor — anywhere in the world.” Remember, this proclamation was made in early 1941, in defiance of the monsters spreading war and oppression across Europe, North Africa and Asia.

Norman Rockwell translated FDR’s expansive phrase into domestic terms that connected with millions of people who could identify with two children safely asleep in their beds, with their mother tucking them in, while the father looks on, holding a newspaper with headlines describing the horrors of the ongoing war overseas. This tranquil scene was in stark contrast to the rest of the world at that time.

In an accompanying essay, novelist and poet Stephen Vincent Benét reasoned, by freedom from fear, “We do not mean freedom from responsibility — freedom from struggle and toil, from hardship and danger. We do not intend to breed a race wrapped in cotton wool, too delicate to stand rough weather. In any world of man that we can imagine, fear and the conquest of fear must play a part.”

In describing Rockwell’s family scene, Benét observed, “They are not free from life and the obligations of life. But they can be free from fear. All over the world, they can be free from fear.”

Benét concluded that we have the chance to sustain these freedoms, “if we have the brains and the courage, to destroy the worst fears that harry man today — the fear of starving to death, the fear of being a slave, the fear of being stamped into the dust because he is one kind of man and not another, the fear of unprovoked attack and ghastly death for himself and for his children because of the greed and power of willful and evil men and deluded nations.”

That was then … this is now.

Instead of Nazism, Europe may be facing a new 21st-century threat — this time brought on by a power-hungry Vladimir Putin and his Russian war machine that’s ruthlessly pounding away at civilian targets contained — at least for now — within Ukrainian borders.

As we were celebrating the Fourth of July earlier this month, Tanya, a Ukrainian from Kyiv whose family has been torn apart by the war, wrote of the inspirational meaning our national holiday holds for her and her people as well. Those of you who follow my column may recall her story from a few months back. In it I shared her very personal eye-witness accounts, describing the daily fears that come when suddenly trapped inside a war zone. Every day, indiscriminate bombings and missile strikes brutally take lives and reduce homes, schools, hospitals and even whole cities to rubble. It is with Tanya’s permission that I share her feelings about the Fourth with you:

“My dear subscribers from the USA. Today is a big holiday in your country — Independence Day. I am from Ukraine, a country that is fighting for its independence and paying a very high price for it, so I really think that this is a great holiday that should be celebrated. Independence, will and freedom are important components of a decent life for any person and country; these are the values worth fighting for and protecting. You know this, and that is why you are helping my beautiful country to become independent, to defeat the monster in a terrible war. And I am extremely grateful to you.

“Of course, my huge thanks — to everyone who is now on the side of Ukraine, in all countries. I admire people’s desire and ability to help, support, and not leave them alone with their troubles. The opportunity to speak here and be heard by you is priceless. Thank you all so much, and I once again congratulate the residents of the United States on the holiday.”

Thank you, Tanya, for reminding us of all the freedom-seekers of the world who view our nation as a symbol of liberty, one that broke free from tyranny and founded a system of governance that placed its control in the hands of “We the People,” not dictatorships and kings. No matter how many blemishes we may find on our Uncle Sam today, may we never lose sight of the four freedoms that the American Way of Life affords us as we seek to solve our differences and continue “to form a more perfect Union.”

For those of you who have access to the social media Instagram app, Tanya’s personal accounts of the war can be found by searching kolyada.t.