I am proud to support President Trump's efforts to make America's

The words of Mike Johnson, spoken with conviction, carry the tone of both patriotism and principle: “I am proud to support President Trump’s efforts to make America’s energy independence one of our top priorities.” Though uttered in the heat of political discourse, this statement reaches far beyond mere policy. It speaks to a timeless human yearning — the desire of a people to stand upon their own strength, to command their own destiny, and to no longer be beholden to the will of others. For in every age, independence is the first virtue of both nations and men.

The phrase “energy independence” is not simply about fuel, oil, or the harnessing of natural power. It is about sovereignty — the ability of a nation to thrive without bending the knee to outside forces. Johnson’s words recall an ancient truth: that no people can be free who must beg for the means of their survival. As in the days of the American Founders, when independence from foreign control was the fire that forged a new nation, so too does the modern struggle for energy represent a deeper fight — a battle for autonomy, for strength, and for the right to determine one’s own fate beneath the sun.

To understand the heart of this declaration, we must recall the lessons of history. When the United States was young, its survival depended on self-reliance — on farms that fed their own, on industries that built their own tools, on citizens who believed in the dignity of work. Yet over time, the nation grew dependent upon faraway lands for its energy, its lifeblood of industry and defense. In times of conflict and crisis, that dependence became a chain. The oil embargo of the 1970s, when America’s prosperity was throttled by the decisions of distant powers, served as a painful reminder: a nation without energy independence is a nation at the mercy of others.

President Trump’s efforts, to which Johnson pledged his support, sought to rekindle that spirit of strength — to unleash the natural wealth beneath American soil, to lift the burden of reliance, and to remind the world that power, in every sense, belongs first to those who create it. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the politics of that endeavor, the principle itself is as old as civilization: he who controls his own resources controls his own destiny. The Romans understood it when they built aqueducts and roads to sustain their empire. The pioneers understood it when they crossed the wilderness to build new towns and light new fires.

But Johnson’s statement also speaks symbolically, to more than policy — it speaks to the human spirit. Just as a nation must strive for independence, so must each individual. A person who depends entirely on others for strength or purpose will one day find his spirit enslaved. The call for self-reliance, for mastery over one’s own power — be it energy, livelihood, or will — is the same call that echoes through every generation of the free. For what is liberty, if not the courage to provide for oneself, to create, to sustain, and to stand firm when the world shifts around you?

There is a lesson here for every listener: do not despise the labor that grants independence, nor neglect the work that ensures security. Whether in the soil, the forge, or the mind, cultivate the resources that make you self-sufficient. For dependence breeds weakness, and weakness invites control. Nations rise and fall by this truth — and so do individuals. To build your life upon your own energy, both literal and spiritual, is to build upon rock rather than sand.

Thus, the wisdom of Johnson’s words endures: “Energy independence” is not merely a goal of policy — it is the symbol of a people who remember who they are. It is the modern expression of that ancient flame first kindled in 1776 — the will to be free, to be strong, to owe nothing to tyrants or masters. Let every generation heed this truth: that freedom, whether of nations or of souls, must be powered by one’s own light — and that the proudest nations, like the proudest men, are those who draw their strength from within.