In this holiday season in North Carolina our blessings are abundant. Families large and small, rich and poor, are first and foremost free to worship, to earn a living, and have the historic gift of self-governance.

It is hard-earned and must not be discounted amid 2025’s economic growing pains. Our state remains one of the most desired places in the nation to live and work. The weather, our university system, and our low taxes draw thousands of people each day, like it or not. We aren’t seeing the mass exodus that areas like California and New York are suffering. Our western North Carolina neighbors are rebuilding after last year’s Hurricane Helene, and our children have safe places to learn and grow. Today is an opportunity to count our blessings.

We have a functioning democratic republic and, while often bloated and inefficient, we have a voice to shape it. We have institutions that generally work — local government, schools, courts, the press. Public trust in them is at an all-time low, but again, we have power to make change. While the political process is messy, the very ability to argue, vote, and hold leaders accountable is a blessing that many societies lack.

But beyond politics and modern public policy, we should first be thankful for our natural rights — life, liberty, and property.

In 1689, philosopher John Locke said In Two Treatises of Civil Government:

“The state of nature has a law of nature to govern it, which obliges every one: and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind, who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions… (and) when his own preservation comes not in competition, ought he, as much as he can, to preserve the rest of mankind, and may not, unless it be to do justice on an offender, take away, or impair the life, or what tends to the preservation of the life, the liberty, health, limb, or goods of another.”

In just over a month, we will usher in 2026, the 250^th anniversary of the American Revolution. What a time to remember and honor the values for which our founders fought and died. Their courage turned an experiment in self-rule into a lasting inheritance. On this Thanksgiving, it is not enough to just be grateful. We must be active in protecting these liberties.

What are we doing to ensure North Carolina remains strong, fair, and free for those who will come after us?

With our rights come an obligation to protect them. We are the stewards charged with preserving the institutions that allow future North Carolinians to argue, innovate, and dream as freely as we do today. Liberty is a living part of our society, constantly challenged and at risk of dying.

Here are ways to turn our thanksgiving for freedom into action:

Encouraging civic education: Understanding our rights starts long before we step into a voting booth. Promoting a strong civics curriculum at home and in schools is a critical first step. The John Locke Foundation has developed lessons and worksheets for K-12 students that will share these lessons and hopefully keep that scholarly spark alive over school breaks.

Supporting transparency in government: Insist that decisions be made in the open and for the public good. Here in North Carolina we should demand reforms to make healthy and clear public records laws, with teeth. Municipal governments should also improve how they hear from and respond to their constituents.

Fostering civil debate and community involvement: If you don’t know where to start, just show up. Volunteer; go to a city council meeting; write a lawmaker. James Madison wrote in Federalist Papers No. 10 that liberty and self-government rely on the virtue of the people. It is a reminder that our system persists because virtuous people choose to participate in it.

Making politics more than transactional: We build coalitions of fellow travelers for short-term gain, but good governance is generational. When the campaigns are over and the arguments fade, what remains will be the policy decisions we made in the heat of battle. Keeping a level head and a true focus on good government is critical for future generations.

The holidays are a hustle today for all of us — getting everyone in the door, hot meals on the table, kids under control, and football games on TV or in the yard. When the moment of calm reflection hits, embrace the gratitude, abundance, and connection that we are so blessed to experience here in North Carolina. Let that gratitude live more than a day. Let it lead you to active stewardship of our shared liberties, so that they too may live another day.