Freedom or Stability?

Earlier this week my history class was discussing the Roman Empire.  One of the questions that my teacher brought forward was what is more important, freedom or stability?  About ten students answered and they all surprised me.  One after one, they responded that stability in a nation is more important.  There were maybe two that said that both were needed.  Upon hearing the question a Benjamin Franklin quote came to mind:  “Those who would give up essential liberty (read freedom) to purchase a little temporary safety (stability, security) deserve neither liberty nor safety.”  Have they all forgotten what this country is founded on?  Our Founding Fathers built this country on the basis of personal and individual freedoms.  The Bill of Rights itself lays out what they believed to be some of the most important rights as American citizens.  We have the freedom to say what is on our minds, the freedom to worship God in our own way, the freedom to defend our families.  Stability means that you know what is going to happen, you're sure about things.  Prisoners have stability because they can do the same things day after day and not worry about much change.  Slavery provides stability.  Living off of others means you don't have to worry about where your food and money will come from.  

Looking back even further into our past we have the great war in Heaven.  Our Heavenly Father presented a plan to all of us.  His plan was for us to come to Earth, use our free agency to learn and grow, then return to His presence.  This plan was to be accomplished through a savior and redeemer, giving us the opportunity to choose repentance.  Another plan was offered.  This plan consisted of our agency being taken away, but every single child of God was guaranteed to return to His presence.  The scriptures say that a third part of the hosts of Heaven chose the plan of stability.  They chose to give away their freedom for the knowledge that regardless of what happened, they were guaranteed the ticket to return home.  Why is freedom so important to Heavenly Father?  Why does it play such an essential part of His plan?  Why does He want it to be important to us?  Why are so many of us ready and willing to give away our freedoms to gain a little stability?

Through the proper use of freedom, it is possible to gain stability in this life.  But once you have lost that freedom for stability, it is very difficult to gain it back.  By the way, it turns out that one of the reasons for the fall of the Romans is because the people relied on the stability of the government for their livelihoods.

What would you give up for stability?

What would you give up for your freedom?