“Personal Freedom” is my second favorite progressive principle.
Our founding fathers put the words beautifully in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
It’s such a beautiful thing, freedom. There are different kinds of freedoms…freedoms to think, freedoms to believe, freedoms to choose, freedoms to love, freedoms to defend, etc. These are all freedoms we appreciate in America. We often take advantage of them, though. How often do you appreciate being able to wear the shirt that demonstrates a belief or idea? How often do you appreciate being able to tell someone that you disagree with Senator so-and-so without the fear of getting arrested?
Personal freedom, to me, means all the freedoms that apply to you in particular. Personal freedom is so important, because it is what we live for. Those who live under Communistic rules, without the ability to even think a certain way without being arrested, live pretty miserable lives. These people are robbed of things that every human should have. Thus, we fight for our freedoms and hope that all will live in a world where we have the freedoms we have in America.
There are some freedoms I believe everyone should have. The first and foremost is the freedom to life. Everyone should be given an ability to live. Secondly, is the freedom of religion. Anyone and everyone should be able to believe what they want to. These beliefs should only be harmed if they can directly physically harm someone (for example, a belief of killing another and putting that belief into action). Another important freedom is the freedom of education. Anyone and everyone should have the ability to learn if they want to. Another important freedom is the freedom of parents. I believe parents should be able to bring their children up as they wish and have the number of children they wish. Naturally, there are basics they should provide for their children (house, food, education, love, etc), but I think the government is too “in your face” for parents. There are many other important freedoms, but I don’t want to mention everything, because I want you to think about these, too.
What are some important freedoms to you? Why?
