Freedom is not a Carte Blanch to do whatever we want

Freedom does not mean anarchy.

You hear a lot of talk about ‘Freedom’.  You hear people saying ‘I have my rights!’ You hear politicians talk about freedom all of the time and it is a common battle cry to get people to go to war. Fighting for freedom is an honorable thing to fight, kill and die for.

But it seems people have lost sight of what freedom really is. Freedom is not as much about our rights, but about respecting the rights of others. That is true freedom.

We live in a selfish society. We are always having to stand up for ourselves and make our own money. We are taught to be responsible for ourselves and if possible help out others along the way. But the truth is, we see the world through the lens of ”Whats in it for me?”  Probably the most feared situation in life is being taken advantage of by others and with good reason. But, all of these self protective attitudes gives us a society of seclusion.

In the United States Bill of Rights there are the amendments to the constitution concerning freedoms. Freedom of Speach, Religion, Press, peaceably assemble and to petition the Government about grievances. So on just this first amendment, there are a lot of issues that can come to odds with each other.

Yes, we have the right to freedom of speech, but does that really give us the right to say whatever we want. Does freedom of the press give the media free reign to print anything it wants?  Does freedom of religion give religions the right to practice all parts of their religions despite what that may mean for the rest of society?

Yes, these rights are guaranteed by the government, but does that make them right in society?

Probably the biggest misconception about the Constitution is that it covers all of society in the United States, but it doesn’t, it just covers the Governments area of responsibility to the people. It is a contract, if you will, between the Government and the People, but it doesn’t mean that this applies to society as a whole.

It is a fine point, but all important, because everyone runs to the government and to the courts to solve problems and disputes in our society, and that is the proper way to decide things.  But, is it really up to government and the courts to control all areas of our society’s woes? 

There is a line people cross where the abuse of freedom of the press abuses the freedom of religion.  Freedom of religion can abuse the rights of people’s freedom of speech. 

The recent horrendous attacks on Charlie Hebdo force us to look at this issue in a serious way.  I’m not in any way condoning the attacks but just to point out that the use of freedom of the press can be used to mock the religious freedoms of a group of people. Is that the proper use of freedom?

It is not up to government to control what someone says, that is up to the people who say it. The truth about freedom is, and this is what needs to be guarded at all costs, is that we must allow others to have freedom without any show of force due to influence or popularity.

The modern age of information has opened up a Pandora’s Box of what people can say today. Today, you can say anything you want, about anyone you want and there is little or no control over it. With thousands of media channels available via satellite, the internet and it’s unlimited power of distribution, every arm chair loudmouth can pretty much say what they want, regardless of it’s validity or damage to the whole, without repercussions. In fact they are often commended for it. The louder and more preposterous the message the more noise you make and the more money you make. 

Does it really do any good to illustrate Mohammed at all?  He is dead. He cannot defend himself. Would Christians tolerate pictures of Jesus in the same veign? Hardly. Although you could make the argument that by doing so you lift up them by doing so. The point however is, does that kind of influence give the press free license to ridicule the spiritual beliefs and laws of any religion?

No, freedom means respecting the freedom of others, even if they don’t respect yours in return.

So, we who profess freedom as our number one right, must be the first to defend the freedoms of others.  This means not infringing on the freedom of others through social pressure, media power, financial oppression or any other means of influence. This is our duty in a free society and that can’t always be determined by a government office.

If you want government to get smaller, we as a society need to stop infringing on the rights of our fellow earthly inhabitants out of a sense of duty to that battle cry of freedom that everyone so devoutly professes.