Freedom.

nicole — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 01:42:46 +0000

What does ‘freedom’ mean to you? How does this relate to you as a blogger?“Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.” -Abraham Lincoln“Freedom is not worth having if it does not include to freedom to make mistakes.” -Mahatma Ghandi“Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” -Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom: it’s a word with multiple meanings. A word that can mean something different to everyone, with different situations. Similar to the words ‘effort’ and ‘peace’, having different meanings depending on the person. These three quotes I found on different websites were very… influential. I didn’t even bother to look at who they were written or stated by, I just found a few quotes I liked and then found the author. The interesting part was the quotes were all from three very important people in history, three very influential people. So… how does this all relate? The quotes were all different, but on the other hand they were all similarly about freedom. Moving on, to the point, freedom to me means the ability to have power over your own actions, to have the ability to control yourself. Maybe not exactly having the power to do whatever you want to; there are boundaries you must stay within the guidelines. For example, in school. Students are technically able to run around, skip class, break the rules, etc. But we, as students, consciously make the decision to not. Right now, writing this blog, I could be surfing the web. And maybe I am writing it because I want to, but on the other hand, I could not obey the class orders if I wanted to. The thing is, I know the consequences that follow. I suppose that’s why we choose to follow rules, because if we do not, there are consequences. This reminds me of Rosa Parks. She wanted the freedom to be able to sit wherever she wanted on the bus. So that one day, she decided to make her point, to rub it in their faces that no, they could not discriminate, they could not tell her where to sit. She couldn’t stand taking no for an answer, she wouldn’t let her freedom and her freedom of speech being taken away. And that one day, when she sat in the “wrong area” of the bus, she broke the rules set on her. I feel that she gained freedom; maybe she even earned it, by the simplest thing that became a huge deal. (I really…. admire Rosa Parks, by the way.) She wouldn’t let her right to do what she wanted, within boundaries of course, be abused against her will because of the colour of her skin. Linked with freedom in general is freedom of speech. I have noticed that in many situations, freedom of speech gets abused. What do I mean by abused? For example, the situations we have been talking about in U.S. History, about how the students’ right to freedom of speech was denied. What does freedom of speech mean? The ability to say, with words and/or actions, what you believe. It’s completely, 100% unfair if your freedom of speech is denied. But on the other hand, it depends on the situation. Similar to freedom in general, there are guidelines.. there are boundaries. If, out of school, someone causes harm to another person or group of people, then I believe their freedom of speech should be denied. But not completely, not to the point where they can’t say anything. This happens often to me, and I honestly cannot stand it.. when people completely deny my freedom of speech. You know, when you’re talking to your parents and you say something that really sets them off. It happens tome quite often, and then they shut me down and don’t let me say a word when a million are running through my mind. It’s not fair, it’s almost ridiculous and is extremelyfrustrating. It’s the same in, say, school. But inside school, my view of the rules is more strict. If a student disrupts a class or the entire school, then yes, their freedom of speech should be denied. There is a line that the school should not cross, though, they should not deny the students freedom of speech to the point where they cannot defend themselves.In the very first amendment of the U.S. Constitution, it states that all people (on American territory) have freedom of expression and have political and religious freedom. This has nothing to do with me whatsoever, although I am in an American school. Not being an American citizen, having never lived there does not give me this ‘security’ everyone says it provides. But I honestly believe you do not need written rules to have security, it should automatically be given, like a package deal.This all affects me as a blogger. How? Well, I know if I say something offensive or disruptive, there are consequences. Maybe even serious consequences, but honestly, I don’t really want to find out the hard way. Checking my work helps, I guess, to clear up any confusion of what can be posted. Better be safe than sorry, eh?

:) » Rosa Parks

Freedom.