People Power: The heart of ‘people power’ – May 2025
By Sam Allman
Though each of our life journeys is unique, it doesn’t take long to realize how much we have in common. Life is often an uphill climb marked by missed chances, hard lessons and long stretches of routine and disappointment. The meat’s tough, the putts don’t drop and the spark fades faster than we’d like.
Relationships take work, jobs wear us down and even our victories can feel fleeting. And yet, every now and then, we experience brief flashes of joy, connection or awe, those fleeting sparks that remind us why we keep going. Through it all, life shapes us. It teaches us, equips us and guides us on the journey of becoming who we are meant to be. That “becoming” fills us with experience, skill, creativity and the personal power to pursue the results we truly aspire to achieve.
FREEDOM TO CHOOSE
Recently, I attended the Washington County Fair in southern Utah, and my visit gave me several unexpected insights and ‘aha’ moments. I hadn’t been to a state or county fair in years, and stepping back into that world made me feel deeply patriotic and proud to be an American. To me, a county fair is the essence of America: messy, loud, proud and full of contradictions. It’s where small-town roots meet big dreams, where families gather beneath string lights to eat deep-fried everything and cheer on pig races or calf-roping contests. I saw people showcasing prize livestock, kids with cotton candy-stained faces and local artists pouring their hearts into homemade pies or country ballads on a makeshift stage.
It was a celebration of tradition and spectacle, grit and glitter-community, competition and that stubborn, hopeful belief that life, like a county fair, is a uniquely personal journey.
When I entered the building filled with the many judged competitions, I was blown away by the sheer range of categories: 4-H entries, animal shows, field and crops, fine arts, home arts, horticulture, literary arts-the list went on and on. The diversity within each category was just as astounding. Then it struck me: Why shouldn’t it be?
Each of us is unique. We all strive to live life in our own way. Some want to lead, others follow the beaten path and some forge their own way. Some thrive on competition, others simply want to create and still others just wish to be left alone. The range of human interests is as endless as our dreams and aspirations.
Washington County, Utah may not be as diverse as a major American city, but the creativity and ambition of its people are limitless. And that, perhaps, is the most beautiful thing about a fair-it’s a mirror of who we are, in all our individuality and shared humanity.
It dawned on me why the fair made me feel patriotic. Freedom is the very condition that allows human diversity in both aspiration and thought to flourish. It is the heart of “people power” and the foundation of self-determination.
Self-determination is the ability to shape your own life-your beliefs, your choices, your goals, your identity. When people are truly free, they can write their own story, not live out a script dictated by the state, tradition or someone else’s authority. Without freedom, there are no real choices. But with it, you can decide what kind of life to pursue, what to believe, whom to love, where to live and how to work. And, most importantly, you can try, fail and try again.
Self-determination thrives on options. Freedom provides the menu. Knowledge and skill offer the power to achieve and alternatives of choice. Freedom of speech and expression allow people to explore ideas and values, and through that process, we form our own views rather than inherit dogma. Without free thought, there can be no self-determined beliefs, and without self-determined beliefs, there is no true autonomy.
Self-determination isn’t just about thinking; it’s about doing. Freedom gives you the space to start a business, build a movement, create art or change your life’s direction. It lets you push back against unfair systems and imagine something better. No action, no self-determination. Without stepping forward, you’re merely dreaming in chains.
Without freedom, all of this falls apart. No wonder Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death.”
RULE OF LAW
In authoritarian systems or oppressive cultures, our choices are constrained. Our beliefs may be policed, and our futures are often predetermined by class, race, religion or political allegiance. We can exist, but we cannot self-determine.
Self-determined people protect freedom. It’s a feedback loop: When people feel ownership over their lives, they invest in the system that grants them that freedom. They become more engaged-voting, speaking up, organizing, innovating. A free society is strongest when people see themselves as pilots of their future, not passengers.
Freedom isn’t about doing whatever you want, it’s about having the space, rights and power to choose who you want to become and then living that truth with dignity. But freedom doesn’t exist in a vacuum. What prevents one person’s freedom from becoming another’s oppression is the rule of law.
The rule of law is what keeps individual will from turning into unchecked power. It sets the boundaries that protect us from each other-and from those who would try to dominate or exploit. In a truly free society, no one is above the law: not the wealthy, not the powerful, not even the leaders. Everyone plays by the same rules, and those rules are enforced fairly-not by whim or political favor, but by an independent judiciary that upholds justice without fear or bias.
This legal framework is what shields a society from sliding into tyranny or corruption. Without it, rights become optional, power becomes law and freedom becomes a fragile illusion. The rule of law doesn’t restrain freedom, it protects it. It’s the foundation that allows diverse people to live together, resolve conflict peacefully and trust that their rights won’t be trampled on by the whims of others.
One of the invisible pillars of a truly functional free society is the quiet, collective agreement not to act like total goblins-especially when no one’s watching. That’s not a footnote; it’s foundational. Voluntary obedience to the rule of law is the glue that holds everything-especially freedom-together. A free society doesn’t flourish just because laws are written down. It works because most people choose to follow them. Even when they could probably get away with breaking them. Even when they disagree with those in power. Even when no one is enforcing the rules.
Why does this matter so much? Because that shared willingness to play fair is what separates order from chaos, and it starts by building social trust. If I trust you’ll stop at the red light, I’ll stop too.
Voluntary law-following also keeps societies sustainable. If everyone needed a cop on their heels 24/7 just to behave, enforcement costs alone would crush the system. Free societies survive on trust and self-regulation. You don’t need an iron-fisted authoritarian when people already choose to restrain themselves.
And behind that self-restraint is something deeper: tolerance. A functioning free society requires not just rules but also a shared respect for the needs, safety and dignity of others. It’s the recognition that your freedom doesn’t mean trampling mine, and vice versa. That’s why healthy, free societies don’t have to choose between freedom and order-people choose both.
So, yes, a democracy without voluntary law-following is like a group project where everyone needs a babysitter. The real miracle isn’t that the government governs-it’s that people let it. And even more magical? Sometimes they do it without being threatened or bribed.
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
There’s no denying that our country feels deeply divided. Over the past several years, we’ve seen people publicly shamed and even lose their jobs simply for expressing personal views. Political tensions have escalated to the point where a presidential candidate was nearly assassinated. Violence has erupted in our streets. Millions have entered the country illegally, straining our systems and fueling political and social anxiety. We are trillions of dollars in debt, the middle class is shrinking and essential pillars of opportunity like healthcare and higher education are becoming increasingly unaffordable for ordinary Americans.
Add to that a system that, while intended to serve all, often seems rigged in favor of those who can afford high-powered lawyers and accountants to navigate the loopholes. The deck feels stacked. And yet, despite all of this, I still believe in America.
My attendance at the county fair reinforced my hope that we will get through these turbulent times like we always have. This country has always been a messy, noisy experiment in freedom. Freedom was the very reason for its existence. The very things that make it difficult-our diversity of thought, our cultural differences, our endless debates-are also what make it extraordinary.
Friction is inevitable when people from vastly different backgrounds try to build a common future. Collaboration is hard. Democracy is hard. But it’s supposed to be. That’s the cost of liberty.
We’ve faced crises before: the Civil War, the Great Depression, civil unrest, political scandals, global conflicts. And somehow, each time, the American people found a way forward-not because the system was flawless, but because the people were determined. This is a nation where power, ultimately, comes from its people. People power.
And the people of this country are still its greatest asset. We are creative, resilient and capable of extraordinary problem-solving when pushed to the brink. That’s not just patriotic optimism, it’s proven history. We argue, we protest, we struggle, but we also innovate, rebuild and reach across divides when it matters most.
So yes, our system is imperfect. Yes, there is real turmoil and real pain. But there is also real hope, because this is still a country where freedom matters, where ordinary people still have the power to speak up, show up and shape the future. Freedom is the heart of “people power.”
I believe in America, not as a perfect nation but as a bold, unfinished project worth believing in. I believe in freedom, because without it, people cannot flourish. And above all, I believe in its people-their spirit, their grit, their genius.
My evening at the fair closed with a concert by Lee Greenwood, and as he sang “I’m proud to be an American,” I found myself singing too. Not out of blind patriotism, but out of quiet conviction-because I am.
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