It may cost you something to protect your freedom from those who would take it, but the freedom itself does not have any inherent cost. Since there are alw

It may cost you something to protect your freedom from those who would take it, but the freedom itself does not have any inherent cost. Since there are always those that would take it, that is an inherent cost. Secondly, I hear that phrase being used How the phrase is being used is independent of how your parent intends it. Let's be positive and assume he meant exactly what your first point implies: that even independent from international politics, you have to invest time and money to retain your freedoms.