Freedom... Freedom... Freedom... Freedom....

Richie Havens was the first to perform at Woodstock. The band that was supposed to perform first couldn't get to the stage in time because of the traffic, so Richie was the first to go. He improvised the song "Motherless Child" in his own way, starting it off with the word "Freedom". It's beautiful, and it's meaningful, and I think it set the right tone for the rest of the Woodstock Festival. This performance was on August 15, 1969. A few days from now, it will be the 40th anniversary. 

What does freedom mean? It seems these days the word "freedom" means different things to different people. I searched google for the definition of the word "freedom", and this is the first definition that popped up:

S: (n) freedom (the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints)  SOURCE: http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=freedom

I feel blessed to be born in a country that values freedom. It's tough at times though when we all have a different idea of what freedom is. We have the freedom to even argue about what freedom is (if we want to). But, when the arguing gets so loud that nobody can hear or understand what anyone is saying, it's just noise. Is there a way to value freedom and peace at the same time? 

The video was posted to YouTube by antogrimes85. Go to http://www.richiehavens.com/ to find more music by the wonderful Richie Havens, and to see his tour dates.