Everyone has the desire to be free. We want to be left alone. We want to get on with our lives, without having to conform to the demands of others. We want to be able to carry firearms, assemble peacefully, vote in fair elections, speak freely, and practice religion, all without the government or a powerful group dictating what we can and cannot do. The Bill of Rights outlined the freedoms and rights of its citizens. We are allowed to speak badly of our government. We are able to protest when we feel we have been wronged or want something to change. We can freely carry firearms. We have the right not to be detained without a speedy trial. We have the right not to incriminate ourselves. We have the right to vote for our government leaders. We often take most or all of these rights for granted. I wouldn't know a life where I couldn't speak freely. Maybe I wouldn't be able to write this article if there wasn't free speech. Many countries have a shortage of these freedoms. They are forbidden to do certain things. They are not afforded the basic freedoms that we believe are second nature to us. They are not allowed to follow their dreams or pursue the happiness that each of us seeks our entire lives. We reach for it, live for it, and even die for it. Television has shown that many countries are struggling to gain this freedom. In Tunisia, young people have taken control of a country that has been under the control of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali for the past 20 years. Tunisians could not find work without being extorted by local officials. They couldn't buy a house without bribing an official. Any business involving the government often required money to complete the paperwork. The Tunisians who received intelligence gathering, before the dust settles, we may see many more countries ousting their dictators for a democracy in full bloom. Although the path to self-government is more difficult than it may seem, right now the people of these countries are united behind a single cause. However, who knows what will happen once their dictator is ousted? Who will emerge as the dominant party? Will they share their new power with the rest of the people? Will people in the Arab world ever have the chance to pursue their dreams? Or they are condemned to constant power struggles that will deprive citizens of the freedom they seek. It is up to the citizens to decide. If the desire to be free prevails over the struggle for power, then a new wave of democracies will begin to overtake the old authoritarian regime. Every individual has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.