Freedom is an ambiguous concept that has different meanings to various citizens; however, most people expect a certain level of security to be provided by their country. Freedom is defined as the right power of self-determination attributed to the will; the quality of being independent of fate or necessity. As citizens of the United States, we have fought several wars to complete our unique experience of practicing democracy; the mission of our Founding Fathers. Immigrants still risk their lives by scaling fences, swimming brisk waterways, and leaving their families to participate in this ambiguous concept called “freedom”. In order to protect freedom, someone has to pay the toll; subsequently it is the soldiers that often pick up the checks. I believe all men should support the military by serving two years (minimum) as a rite of passage, career exploration, and for the privilege of voting. Presently, we need soldiers all over the world, thus the need for manpower is uninterrupted. In fact, a show of numbers is an important strategy in deterring global conflict. Many cultures practice a metaphysical ceremony to acknowledge a conversion into adulthood. For example, the Spartans had what they called Helot Killing. In the Spartan society, all males had to go through fighter training. Spartan boys were ripped from their mothers at the age of seven, and attended warrior training until they were seventeen. When they turned eighteen, they would be sent off into the wilderness with knives, and had the mission of assassinating state-owned slaves (called helots). If they returned, they were men. If not they were not fit to live in a civilized society, and those mothers would be ashamed. The government can do the same by turning the draft into a rite of passage for males eighteen to twenty five years of age. However, it would not be as brutal as life