Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Tuesday Take: Cry Freedom

America knows this word well. We have done many things in the pursuit of it. We came to this land to find it and in doing so killed the Native Americans in mass for occupying territory that we coveted. We uprooted them, took away their way of life, and annihilated their culture.

We were immigrants.

We continue to exploit them by mining their land for Uranium, polluting their water and destroying what little they have left in this country. But not much concern is directed toward them any longer.

They would be the first to tell you that freedom, oddly enough, is never free. The small price most of us pay is following the rules that are put in place to protect us and keep us safe from those who would take advantage of it. The price for those who wish to come here and enjoy it are the same for everyone.
Follow the law.

These issues are not fashion trends that you can pick up one week and discard the next.  They are serious and if you want to make a difference then learn both sides of the argument so you can have an informed opinion, and then do something about it.

I don’t care what your political or religious preference is, and I love that we live in a country where we have the freedom to believe what we want. We have the freedom to argue loudly about these issues but still remain friends afterwards.

Freedom allows the differences that make us unique but our tolerance and the respect that we show in the face of those differences are what truly set us free.

That’s my take on it.

3 comments:

  1. Good take.

    I did a feature story once on King Philip's War in New England in the late 1600's. Metacomet, aka Prince Philip, was the son of Massasoit, who helped the original Plymouth colonists. Eventually Metacomet, who became chief of the Wampanoag tribe after his father and brother died, began to see the English as a threat.

    A war broke out between some tribes and the English. The tribes lost. I learned a lot about the plight of Native Americans writing about it. Sad story, really.

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  2. I like your take on this. Before even reading the last paragraph, the word that came to my mind is "respect". With a "free country" comes the freedom to have different views and preferences, and that's a good thing -- no need for people to ruin this by acting superior over others. Hope that made sense.

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  3. This is a great post Marsha. It seems like some people take "freedom" so far as to mean they don't have to tolerate anything/anyone different. Their "freedom" allows them to degrade or simply be unconcerned about the plights of others. I believe (as you said) that respect sets us free. Getting hold of the truth and loving others the same way we love ourselves (if not more) ... that's freedom.

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It helps to know I'm not just talking to myself.