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Freedom Isn't Free, Nor Is It Easy
Sep. 11th, 2004 08:01 pmHappy Birthday to Kenny! (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kennydoug71) and Rob (robearal)
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Let's talk about freedom today. I guess I'm being a bit on my high-horse, being all philosophical and such, but there's a point I'll try to make here.
Freedom has been a big topic of discussion lately. "We're fighting for out freedom", sometimes also used in the plural, freedoms. I'm telling you they are using the word incorrectly. What we're fighting for, depending on your views of the war on terror, is our basic rights, the things that allow us to be free. Many people think, correctly, that there's a group of people that wish to restrict our rights, which will then restrict our freedoms. Of course, there's more than one group that's doing this, and they practice many different faiths.
There's people all over who wish to use either a gun, a bomb, or laws to stop you. There's Christians trying to stop the Pagans, there's muslims wanting to stop the Christians, there's all sorts of people trying to stop the Jews. There's Mormons trying to stop the gays, Gays trying to stop Donatella Versace, and so on. It seems that no one can live with everyone else, so the way to do it is to slam down hard on someone's rights.
The funny thing is, those that throw around the freedom thing are those who are least likely to step out of the box. Family men and women in their usual roles going to church and working their 40 hours. Not that they don't deserve freedom, but they aren't pushing the boundaries.
Our rights are worth defending. It's certainly a worthwhile goal, but when it comes down to it, when people say they are fighting for freedom, just what freedom do they mean? would the average Born-Again Protestant Republican really worry about fighting for the rights and freedom of gay americans. Does the average atheist gay worry about the possibility of others coming in and taking away the freedom of religion from Christians (well, this is actually a poor point, but you can say that several court cases in the US look to do that to a small degree).
I don't want to get to far into us vs. them, but that's were everything went after this date in 2001. It's not really the best lesson we could have taken away from that day. We should be sensitive of others, and get more to the root of the world's problems, poverty, starvation, limited resources, lack of competent leadership, those who live without hope. These are things we should look to try to work, as a nation, as the world, to try to help with.
in some cases we do, as a people, Americans are charitable, as a nation, we spend a lot of money holding up other countries. While charity is good, it's often very directed, only going to certain pet causes. The nation's influence is different. There's less charity to giving nations money, and more to help keep the status quo.
I think we aren't fighting for freedom if we don't consider the freedom of all people. This is difficult. Most of us aren't so eager to sacrifice when it may be harder to be so altruistic. We can be very shallow when we think of the freedoms we want to defend. America is not only one place were relative "freedom" can be found. There's plenty of other free nations. We can all do better about encouraging the third world to improve, become democratic and thrive. sometimes it takes a battle, but not always.
I think we'll have to fend of threats to our way of life for quite some time. Grudges aren't easily dismissed, and our dependance on other nations for resources isn't exactly helping the situation. We'll have to also look at threats from the inside too. those who don't necessarily value all people, those who are more concerned about keeping their little piece of the pie. those who threaten others as much as they feel threatened.
Freedom is the antithesis of fear.
OK, I'll get off the high-horse right now. It's the remembrance I needed, and the message I needed off my chest. Have a good weekend.
kennydoug71) and Rob (robearal)----------------------------------------------
Let's talk about freedom today. I guess I'm being a bit on my high-horse, being all philosophical and such, but there's a point I'll try to make here.
Freedom has been a big topic of discussion lately. "We're fighting for out freedom", sometimes also used in the plural, freedoms. I'm telling you they are using the word incorrectly. What we're fighting for, depending on your views of the war on terror, is our basic rights, the things that allow us to be free. Many people think, correctly, that there's a group of people that wish to restrict our rights, which will then restrict our freedoms. Of course, there's more than one group that's doing this, and they practice many different faiths.
There's people all over who wish to use either a gun, a bomb, or laws to stop you. There's Christians trying to stop the Pagans, there's muslims wanting to stop the Christians, there's all sorts of people trying to stop the Jews. There's Mormons trying to stop the gays, Gays trying to stop Donatella Versace, and so on. It seems that no one can live with everyone else, so the way to do it is to slam down hard on someone's rights.
The funny thing is, those that throw around the freedom thing are those who are least likely to step out of the box. Family men and women in their usual roles going to church and working their 40 hours. Not that they don't deserve freedom, but they aren't pushing the boundaries.
Our rights are worth defending. It's certainly a worthwhile goal, but when it comes down to it, when people say they are fighting for freedom, just what freedom do they mean? would the average Born-Again Protestant Republican really worry about fighting for the rights and freedom of gay americans. Does the average atheist gay worry about the possibility of others coming in and taking away the freedom of religion from Christians (well, this is actually a poor point, but you can say that several court cases in the US look to do that to a small degree).
I don't want to get to far into us vs. them, but that's were everything went after this date in 2001. It's not really the best lesson we could have taken away from that day. We should be sensitive of others, and get more to the root of the world's problems, poverty, starvation, limited resources, lack of competent leadership, those who live without hope. These are things we should look to try to work, as a nation, as the world, to try to help with.
in some cases we do, as a people, Americans are charitable, as a nation, we spend a lot of money holding up other countries. While charity is good, it's often very directed, only going to certain pet causes. The nation's influence is different. There's less charity to giving nations money, and more to help keep the status quo.
I think we aren't fighting for freedom if we don't consider the freedom of all people. This is difficult. Most of us aren't so eager to sacrifice when it may be harder to be so altruistic. We can be very shallow when we think of the freedoms we want to defend. America is not only one place were relative "freedom" can be found. There's plenty of other free nations. We can all do better about encouraging the third world to improve, become democratic and thrive. sometimes it takes a battle, but not always.
I think we'll have to fend of threats to our way of life for quite some time. Grudges aren't easily dismissed, and our dependance on other nations for resources isn't exactly helping the situation. We'll have to also look at threats from the inside too. those who don't necessarily value all people, those who are more concerned about keeping their little piece of the pie. those who threaten others as much as they feel threatened.
Freedom is the antithesis of fear.
OK, I'll get off the high-horse right now. It's the remembrance I needed, and the message I needed off my chest. Have a good weekend.
