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The Simple Complexities of Freedom
Freedom for the New Millennium
“Freedom isn’t free!” I hear them chanting from the other side of the tarmac. There’s a protest of some kind going on and the police are pushing them back, as far away as possible from the area where a simple demonstration could easily become life threatening. We carefully backed out of the stall and crept down the runway to get into position for takeoff.
As I write this, I’m on a transatlantic flight from Los Angeles, California to Helsinki, Finland. For the first time ever, I’ve chosen to fly non-stop across the pond instead of stopping in London, Amsterdam, and other favorite locations along the way. My roomy seat is 2H in the Business Class section of an Airbus A350–900 on Finnair.
I’ve made this journey well over twenty times during the past three decades. This will be my first visit since the summer of 2019, after the world turned upside down and I was forced to cancel my 2020 visit on short notice. This time my goal is to reconnect with the people I love so much. The children are taller and more independent now, so much has changed, yet so much remains the same.
I was just shy of my fortieth birthday when I first traveled to Europe. I only knew one person at the time and wasn’t sure what to expect. At the end of the first week I sat in a cafe in…
