If there is one abstract quality that I value above all others, it is freedom.
Freedom is what makes America the greatest country in the world. Freedom is what sets us apart from the socialist cowards over in Europe, the vodka-drinking peasants in Russia and the tech-savvy Commies in China. This is all well known and hardly needs to be stated.
But what is freedom? I daresay that only few of us truly understand what our freedom means and how remarkable of a gift it truly is.
Freedom is the right to go to Steak ‘n Shake at either 4 p.m. or 4 a.m, or both. Freedom is the ability to order a Chipotle burrito with triple chicken. Freedom is the fact that when you go to Wendy’s, you can not only order a sandwich named the ‘Baconator,’ but you can order it with extra bacon.
Yes, it is true – freedom mostly has to do with food. And furthermore, freedom has everything to do with getting a more-than-standard amount of food.
But who amongst us exercises these rights? Every time I go to Chipotle I get double chicken, but have I ever exercised my God-given right, which is enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and which was fought and died for by my forefathers in the Revolutionary War, to order triple chicken? I am ashamed to say that the answer is no.
In fact, I am almost ashamed to say that I have never been to Steak ‘n Shake at either 4 p.m. or 4 a.m. – only at the pitiful time of 2 a.m., after a Of Montreal concert during my freshman year.
And, my loyal readers, please do not even ask me if I have ever gone to Wendy’s and ordered a Baconator with extra bacon. Because if you asked me, I would be forced to tell you that I have never once ordered a Baconator with the standard amount of bacon, let alone one with extra bacon.
So when I take a long, hard look at myself, I am compelled to admit that I have been wasting my freedom.
When this realization first came to me, I sunk into depths of despair. I asked myself what other opportunities I had wasted, what other privileges I had squandered and what other excessive amounts of food I had failed to order at socially inappropriate hours.
But then I realized that I should not be asking myself these questions. After all, who among us has fully taken advantages of all the opportunities our freedom gives us? It is easier sometimes to just sit there playing 2048 and watching “The Daily Show” in our underwear than it is to get in our car, drive to Wendy’s and live life to the fullest.
But this surrender to apathy was a little better than my previous state of dejection. What I needed was inspiration. I needed to find a person who takes full advantage of his (or her) freedom, to show me that I can do so, too.
In my youngest brother, Will Ostdiek, I found this person.
Just to be clear, my little brother is not the person who inspired me. He is just a lax bro with flowing blonde hair, just a simple kid who does push-ups every night to impress the ladies and takes way too many shirtless pictures of himself.
But if Will has one thing going for him, it is his pure, undivided focus on the good things in life. That is the reason why he spends every free moment of his life perfecting the roster of his fantasy football team. And it is also the reason why he recently sent me an email with a subject line reading, “the life.”
I would prefer if he had capitalized the important words in the subject lines of his emails, but one battle at a time – I am currently focused on getting him to brush his teeth more.
Anyhow, the article contained a link to a Bleacher Report article titled “Bro at Yankees vs. Orioles Game Caught on Camera Lifting Weights.”
The title and accompanying picture say it all. A guy in a bro tank with the word “FLY” printed across it is jamming out on headphones and getting in a set of curls while at a baseball game.
This is a man who understands that freedom is the right to work out anytime, anywhere. This is a bro who knows that the 69th amendment protects our right to two guns and a six-pack.
Stadium workout guy, I salute you.
– By Bennett Osdiek
The Emory Wheel was founded in 1919 and is currently the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University. The Wheel publishes weekly on Wednesdays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions.
The Wheel is financially and editorially independent from the University. All of its content is generated by the Wheel’s more than 100 student staff members and contributing writers, and its printing costs are covered by profits from self-generated advertising sales.
