Paragraph on Eternal Vigilance is the Price of Liberty
Liberty is the birthright of a man and constant care and alertness is the price he has to pay for its defense. A nation has to achieve liberty if it is under foreign domination. And this liberty has to be obtained by way of a long-drawn struggle or even a bloody war. But as soon as it is achieved the struggle or the war ends. Then comes the question of maintaining the liberty earned at a great cost and sacrifice. But to maintain the liberty of a nation is a very difficult task. It is even more difficult to achieve it. National liberty in the true sense implies both political and economic liberty as well as freedom from poverty and illiteracy. Only the government of a country is not enough to maintain and uphold this liberty. People’s active participation is essential on this behalf, and this participation must be a continuous process. It implies that every citizen should do his utmost to perform his duties and bear his responsibilities. He must respect law and order. He must show loyalty, obedience, tolerance, and perseverance. If the citizens are not vigilant about what is required of them and do not perform their duties with care, caution, and perseverance discontent, disorder and anarchy may develop, and then national liberty may stand at stake. Thus the citizens should ceaselessly and perpetually remain watchful so that no mischief may develop through their negligence in duty and a lack of co-operation with the government and this is the price they have to pay for upholding their national liberty.
