What does freedom mean to you?
I believe that everyone has certain rights due to being humans. Our government doesn’t give us these rights, they recognize and protect these rights.
Freedom of speech is part of the first amendment to the US constitution. This recognizes my ability to say what I think without fear of my government. There can be limits to this right but only in very specifically defined ways. This assures that we can debate the issues of running a democracy. I know someone out there is thinking,”No. We are a republic.” Since we vote on people to represent us rather than directly vote to pass laws, this can be argued. However, we can encourage our leaders to make decisions that match the popular position. So, I believe that we are a democracy and a republic.
The first amendment is full of these freedoms that we as Americans hold dear. The right to protest and assemble. I had a roommate in college from Hong Kong who called protests riots. I never could get her to see the difference. I walked in my city’s Black Lives Matter protest. The organizer failed or deliberately didn’t get a permit. So, the police had to come over to the organizer in order to know our route. The city got mad at him for this because we interfered with traffic. I kept walking on the sidewalk because it felt wrong to interfere with traffic. The second protest was on the sidewalk where the first one should have been. Like freedom of speech, I am okay with limiting my rights in order not to interfere with the rights of others. Freedom of the press helps us to be informed on what our government is doing. I still remember when the US government lied to us about the weapons of mass destruction in order to justify a war.
There are other rights that are not listed but are still very important such as property rights, privacy rights and abortion. I know some of my friends think that I support murdering unborn babies because of this position. I believe that many pregnant people who consider abortion are faced with a very hard decision. I have attempted to listen to some books describing the experience of facing this decision but one book had too much political commentary by the abortion doctor who gathered the stories.
As if this post isn’t too long now, I started thinking about religious freedom. The first amendment protects the church from interference from the government. However, we have built a separation between government and religion through tradition and the Supreme Court. This is important to me because I want people to come to Christ through a voluntary act in response to God’s love not through societal pressure. So, I want most laws to protect rights rather than force ethical behavior. Murder is wrong because people have a right to be safe as they live and work rather than the fact that it is wrong. Lying is wrong but not illegal. We need some other laws to keep things orderly such as traffic laws.