At its core, Survival and Liberty are one and the same.

Successfully confronting the headwinds, the uphills, the changing terrains and weather of any landscape is the key to survival. You stand, you take whatever the topography and the temperature throws at you and simply push on to your destination.

Compare this with the definition of liberty. According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, liberty is the “state of being free within a society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one’s way of life, behavior or political views.”

Survival, in my opinion, is the state of being free within a landscape from oppressive conditions imposed by nature, chance and fate on one’s freedom of movement and destination. Confronting Mother Nature and her laws or battling man-made impositions with its threats requires a straight-forward skill set.

Navigating economic, political, social and wilderness terrains calls for stamina and constant negotiation.

Freedom is freedom from oppressive obstacles regardless of their origin or makeup.

Liberty, Independence and Survival; different terrain, same temperament.