About Freedom

Freedom is possibly the most valuable possession in the world.

Because freedom is so precious I cannot be cavalier with it. The people I love, who love and care for me, must not endure false or exaggerated claims of freedom from me. I hold them in respect so I cannot afford to make false claims against them. Ever.

The price of freedom is the determination to not make false claims. And though I set out to understand how the world works, including social behaviour and norms, my views are not always right. What damage might be done by generalizations that seem true to me.

Some have access to media outlets which seem to give credibility to extraordinary claims. It's up to us to think seriously about whether the claims can be true or proven. We know now that being published does not guarantee truth. We know that some people in high places deliberately tell lies.

History is full of liars and murderers and their victims.

A good friend once said you cannot assume anything. So I have stopped using "I assume".

My freedom is also a duty to be honest with myself and all that I say and do. Failing that, my children are left to deal with a world that is not only dangerous but an example of who we are. 

It's complicated because if I keep preaching about what we should do and be. The natural connection between myself and other beings can be splintered.  Seem superior to assume I have a moral duty to police others. Will it do more harm than good? What power is available to us? How can you and I engage in democracy when power is so confusing.

Freedom is a blessing in that there are some things we can do, and it's a curse because there is danger in it.

So the best I can suggest now, is my responsibility and freedom is wrapped within my society. A society that is authoritarian, that punishes people for expressing themselves, makes it seem there is nothing I can do. There is something. Stay awake and informed. Work locally and humbly. Question assumptions.

Just because I have written about freedom doesn't mean I am right.