SASDA.ORG :: Opinion 1

An instant look at human events making news during the last week spotlights the issue of freedom and its underpinnings worldwide. These are some of the events that made news from what I have seen:

Death of a Freedom Fighter – Coretta Scott King.
Hate Crimes by a teenager – Starting with a gay bar? With the killing of two police officers by the teenager who eventually killed himself.
Cartoon Controversy – Portraying the Muslim Prophet Mohammed in an unfavorable light. This followed by massive protests across the world with destruction of property, death and negative economic ramifications.
Church Burnings – Ten Baptist churches burned to the ground in the land of freedom.
Fire on an Egyptian Ship sinking most passengers, a fire on a UPS plane and California Forest Fires – all unrelated to other events.
More Soldiers and Iraqis killed in the fight for freedom?
State of the Union address by the U.S. president emphasizing the mission to export or support Democratic institutions worldwide, followed by a budget proposal that aims to cut a lot of domestic programs and a dramatic increase in spending for Homeland Security as it is now recognized that the U.S. may be engaged in a long war against terrorism for the next 20 years…

So it seems that all of human ingenuity and technological prowess is unable to prevent freedom from burning at the slightest spark of provocation in the form of a religious cartoon from a very peaceful country like Denmark. Having witnessed how freedom can be used or misused in all of human history to date, is it not time to debate human freedom and the use of it? Understanding full well that no two human beings or two cultures can fully agree on the boundaries of true freedom, is it not time to first recognize whether we like it or not that we live on a very interdependent planet, that we live in a circular society and that in fact it is a round planet we live on, that what goes around does come around? That no man or nation is an island unto itself? And that the least we can do is to agree not to hurt ourselves in the pursuit of freedom? That actions have reactions followed by consequences good or bad and anything in between, from the environment to the economy and ethical behavior? Let me juxtapose it this way: it is true that the Danish newspaper had every right to publish the ‘offensive’ cartoons as a matter of free speech and meant no harm but it is also equally true that someone or a whole religious group can be equally offended by it and therefore free to express their outrage by protests that maybe peaceful or not peaceful at all, including death threats and destruction to property! So what have we learned from all this? Was it all worth it, i.e., the free speech? What are we trying to be FREE FROM? What price are we willing to pay to keep our freedom of speech and our way of life? We can debate endlessly about how much ‘I’ or ‘YOU’might have the right to do whatever you may want to. However, emphasizing ‘your’ or 'my' rights in the final analysis is not going to guarantee your continued freedom IF the exercise of your very rights may adversely affect my rights and my freedom. In other words your freedom ends where my nose begins as the saying goes. This is what the civil liberties is all about and the gate guarding your rights is how you exercise your responsibilities. Abuse it and you lose it. No amount of money or resources spent on reversing the effects of irresponsible behavior can fully restore what may be lost, in the name of freedom. In the case of the Cartoon Controversy, the World is even more divided and hostile at a time when it is more crucial than ever to come together to solve problems that plague our very existence, so that ALL may be free from hatred, oppression, inequality, poverty and fear itself. This may be a lost cause to some and that the only way out is through confronting fire with fire and 'smart' bombs. As much as this may be a reality now, how about SMART BEHAVIOR? Realizing that we live in an ecosystem of interdependence, is it not smarter to do everything possible to use our freedom to uplift, reach out, foster friendship and dialog with those we disagree with rather than make fun of and be dismissive of our opponents? Isn’t our freedom dependant on someone else’s good behavior? If so, isn’t it paramount that our freedom is guarded with good behavior as well? Isn’t it much cheaper to actually ‘love our enemies’ and do good to those that hate us? Or should we continue to pour more money and lives into changing someone who does not want to be changed in a long war so to speak? Let me state this so it is not mistaken, I am against censorship but I am also against irresponsible behavior and giving cause to the enemy to hate me. The World’s problems may not be solved through love alone but it works most times if it is given time and a decent chance to succeed. Freedom and Democracy cannot be exported while at the same time we belittle those we hope will embrace ‘OUR’ values of freedom no matter how just the cause. It is like saying I want you to be free but I don’t care how you feel about my behavior towards you. A culture of life cannot be built on a culture of arrogance and intolerance in the name of free speech or free whatever!

So we as human beings can have the freedom to be free from fear and hate if it is guarded with responsible behavior now more than ever, or we can continue to be adrift in the perilous waters of unrestrained exercise of ‘freedom’. Freedom may be looked at as having a big bank account, it can be saved or squandered. It is like flying a plane or driving a car to go anywhere but to do that you need to be a responsible driver, respecting other drivers and passengers along the way. It is like taking care of your own body with healthy food even though you have the right to eat anything you may want to, to ensure a good life. It is time then to add THEM to US instead of US vs. THEM, US and THEM, working for each other’s benefit so that freedom can shine rather than burn.

Maybe it is time to ask the unthinkable question? When is it a good time to stop the fighting? When is it a good time time to stop infuriating and alienating one another on the basis of free whatever? When is it a good time to come together to resolve conflicts, recognizing the common bond of humanity all of us share? When is it time to talk about win/win solutions? When is it a good time to look at freedom in a wholesome way i.e., freedom of the mind, body and spirit? I mean for all? Who will take the first step towards reconciliation? Endless wars have been fought over land and ideology and I am sure this will continue to the very end, so then what is it that we have not learned or yet to learn? Can history teach us anything about... well ourselves? OR are we just going to stick to our guns and not yield an inch? Well, Satan is not going to disappear anytime soon so maybe if human beings wise up to its game plan i.e., to get everyone to hate each other to death in the name of freedom or whatever reason, we may be able to outsmart the devil, so help us GOD! I wonder who else can help mankind from outsmarting the devil? We can keep praying to God for Him to do the unthinkable but if we actually do the unthinkable, maybe all our prayers will be answered.

Freedom will be in a FREE FALL if it is just a FREE FOR ALL or is there yet something else that needs to convince us the importance of guarding each other's freedoms? Do we need any more 'enemies' when it is hard enough to deal with our own 'friends'?

The citizens of the free nations of the world have a higher calling to help focus on things that are good, lovely i.e., the good stuff or face the consequences of irresponsible behavior even though you didn't mean to offend someone else. After all even God, the author of all true freedom does not want it any other way and He paid the ultimate price for it with His own life to make that very point that good has to be chosen over the bad in the pursuit of freedom and happiness, constantly, so that ALL may be FREE INDEED. Having mankind's Freedom bought with a price, are we not required therefore to be even more vigilant and preserve it from abuse and share that freedom with LOVE and responsible and respectful behavior toward all? There may be no silver bullet to solving the world's problems but there is still a silver lining if we follow the golden rule of 'doing unto others what we may want others to do unto us.' The freedom we may be guarding is our own if we help to guard our neighbor's freedom and if we be the example we may want others to follow. Ultimately we are accountable to how we use the gift of freedom. You may ask yourself if the exercise of your freedom is setting others free or enslaving them into inexcusable behavior? Are we our brother's keeper? The Bible says clearly 'in as much as you do unto the least of these', clearly emphasizing responsible and charitable behavior to those who deserve the least respect so to speak...after all our own freedom was secured without us having to pay the full price for it, so can we be be just as generous in exercising it but careful in not letting others be harmed by it? So when is it a good time to let freedom shine and not burn with our thoughts and deeds? Isn't it blessed to be in the peacemaking business by trying to win the peace and keeping the peace it at all possible? It is much better than being killed for no good reason! What is the choice? Freedom to live freely or Freedom to live in fear? After all, Freedom is a two way street, it is a give and take and what you give dictates what you get.

So can the enlightened please shine a light on FREEDOM before it burns out on the altar of purely personal gratification?

Maybe we can start with guarding our freedoms with good behavior.