Freedom

There have been two incidents that I have come across today that have raised the issue of freedom in my mind. These have made me think quite seriously of the nature of freedom and the hallmarks of a free society.

Earlier today, the candidate whom I have been working to reelect received a very nasty email. Apparently, a constituent of the opposite political party  received a mailing and felt compelled to send this candidate a very sarcastic message about the mailing. The mailing was actually sent by an independent group with no input from our campaign, as we have not sent out a mailing in the recent past.  That nuance was lost on the constituent.

The second incident occurred on a blog that I read fairly regularly.  The blogger posted a story which several readers found upsetting, and they felt compelled to cancel their subscription to the blog.

Freedom is a word that is used quite a bit here in the United States. In fact, most citizens would likely agree that freedom is important to them.  With the election just around the corner, politicians feel compelled to repeatedly reassure constituents that they support freedom.  It is the bedrock of our democracy.

The US was founded by people seeking freedom. Of course, these founders  did not really consider freedom to be a human right. Historically, it was a right reserved for white protestant Europeans. Other races, religions and cultures were deemed to be less than human. Over the course of our country’s history we have paid lip service to the expansion of the concept of freedom as a human right.

Recently, though, our society seems to have forgotten how hard it is to have true freedom.

True freedom means that people have the right to say things that others don’t like. It means that people have the right to practice a religion that many others don’t like. True freedom means that people have the right to do things that many other people find objectionable.

Majority does not rule.

True freedom means that the majority protects the right of the minority to have an opinion which differs from the majority. It means that the rights of some are equal to the rights of many.

This does not make for a pretty picture. It is not easy. A truly free society is messy. Dictatorships run smoothly-any opposition is disposed of quietly and efficiently. Kingdoms likewise are able to enforce its chosen political position. Theocracies outlaw other religions and beliefs in favor of the one “true” religion practiced by the  ruling belief system.

We claim to be a freedom-loving country. We should be celebrating the differences of the people within our society. A truly free society would be free of name-calling, hatred and violence between opposing belief systems.  Is that the way it feels in our current political climate? I don’t feel it.

If we truly are free, let’s fight for the rights of those with  whom we disagree. Let’s encourage the open discussion of differing opinions and ideas.

Respectfully.

Open to opposing positions.

Considerately.

Without yelling at each other.  

It may not feel comfortable and we may not always get our way. But that is part of a truly free society. From what has been happening recently it is apparent that we have not been up to the challenge and hard work required to be a free society.

Freedom-it ain’t for sissies.

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