College is often talked about as grounds for pushing boundaries, being exposed to new perspectives and sticking up for what you believe in. It’s a place where many start to identify that some of their beliefs don’t align with their parents, friends or peers. It’s a place where many identify where their political, religious or social views stand. It’s a place where we are bombarded with diverse thinking and life experiences that help educate us.

But it is not the space of a public university itself that enables such opportunities, but rather the First Amendment and its freedoms accessible across the United States.

Today, Iowa State once again celebrates these freedoms through the annual First Amendment celebration. The event is meant to remind us that most of us use our freedoms of religion, press, speech, assembly and petition on a daily basis, but often take advantage of them. As a matter of proof that we often take advantage of them without knowing, statistics from a survey conducted by the Newseum Institute show that most Americans can’t name all five freedoms.

In some ways it is sad that many Americans don’t know the five freedoms because then we can never truly appreciate the value they provide us. The First Amendment is so ingrained in our society that protests, watchdog journalism and religious practices are just common practice. But if we don’t take the time to think about what our nation would be like without them, we risk the chance of not knowing what there is to miss until it’s gone.

In essence, that’s the very purpose of the First Amendment celebration: to recognize and celebrate our freedoms, while also recognizing that it is our duty as Americans to stand up and protect those freedoms.

Beyond this, the celebration on campus today is meant to remind us that the First Amendment is not in place simply so we can express ourselves, but so that others — even those we strongly disagree with — may do so as well. The celebration is just as much about the fact that we can express ourselves as it is about living in a society where we are constantly exposed to differing perspectives that help enrich our nation.

It is because of the First Amendment that we can stand up and fight in the face of injustice without fear of the government prohibiting us from doing so. It is also because of the First Amendment that we can stand up and say that we want to keep our traditional values without the government prohibiting us from doing so.

The First Amendment is arguably the most necessary part of an effective democracy and an American society that all citizens can participate in. It’s necessary for all American communities, including the Iowa State and Ames communities, to function to their fullest potential.

But if we don’t take the time to celebrate this, to think of our lives without these freedoms and to understand that each day we face opposition to holding these freedoms — we could lose them without even knowing.