Global Political and Social Awareness - The Western Concept of Freedom

Freedom is a concept that has been in the collective minds of people for as long as we can remember. It is the ultimate luxury of great living because it provides us with everything for a bountiful and successful lifestyle. So many people dream of having it. The ones who have it and were born with it, know well how good things are. But the idea of freedom has changed quite a bit in modern times. People have begun perceiving it differently than others which is causing a lot of confusion within a society. Let us take a close look at the idea of freedom and what it means to different people.

For many centuries, freedom was a dream that couldn't be reached. Global populations were governed strictly by control which has been associated with brutal regimes, Absolutism, the Divine Right of Kings, Totalitarianism and Autocracy. Only a privileged few enjoyed freedom to a certain degree, such as elites, but even they did not taste the full potential of this luxury. The ones who did were the designated leaders: Kings, Queens, Emperors, and ruthless presidents. Many of them ruled brutally over their people because they believed their rule was the only way to protect their kingdoms, realms, and countries. They saw people as tools and pawns that couldn't be trusted. They couldn't imagine that they would have to give up their seats to them one day because God or some powerful entity gave the leaders their right to rule over them. To them, it was supposed to last forever.

Western freedom has its roots in the enlightenment. This idea emerged from many sources from political and economic philosophy, humanism, and ethics and morals. As these ideas gained traction and appeared incredibly appealing to the masses, new movements began to take shape. It began in kingdoms which gradually degraded their foundations to allow the formation of nation-states. It was only in these realms that the idea of freedom could flourish. A government with representation was created. Voting rights were expanded. Factories, manufacturers and businesses were founded allowing more people to work. Socialism and the idea of workers unions and labor laws, social security, universal education and improvements in healthcare all participated and contributed to the rise of modern states. Without these groundbreaking achievements, freedom would have never established itself to the way it has with us. When it finally did, people could finally start living the way they want. This mainly happened in Western nations. In other areas of the world, people can still only dream of attaining freedom. It could be decades for it to happen in their home countries which is why they choose to move to Western countries to have a better life. 

I find that many people in largely Western societies are spoiled when it comes to freedom however. We usually associate freedom with no monarchy, the bill of rights, the Constitution, fair elections, economic progress with the Free Market System that is augmented by capitalism, and political transparency. But the large scope of the paradigm constitutes more than the unalienable rights that are clearly outlined in one of the most sacred and important documents to protect us from harm. I truly believe as well that freedom allows us to buy property, buy any kind of clothes we want, buy cars of any style we want, go to school, learn a profession, maintain a hobby, participate in any sport, buy food at any grocery store, watch any movie, listen to any song, and visit a restaurant or bar if you feel like it. Since birth all of us have been taught that we can achieve all these great things. It has been entrenched in our minds ever since. We have grown up believing we are entitled to these features whenever we need them because freedom has been with us for so long now. If we need them, we can get them all the time. Of course, with this vast amount of incredible luxury, it is easy for us to let all his get into our heads. We take things for granted, become selfish and demand more. We should exercise moderation, step back a little and appreciate what we have. Naturally, human beings don't like change. But I find it ridiculous when people in this privileged environment start crying foul and throw accusations of dictatorship, tyranny, and fascism at their opponents. Even accusations of Communism gets thrown into the mix for some unknown reason. Protests are fine when they are peaceful. But people who lose touch with reality don't stop to think that their protest is a way of exercising their freedom to protest what they don't like. If tanks and soldiers appeared, stopped them, and even opened fire on them, then, yes, autocracy and dictatorship would be on the rise. But in a western country, it does not happen at all during peaceful protests because the government knows it is wrong. People who make baseless claims are terribly spoiled like children who had their toys taken away from them. They are so used to getting what they want that they start whining if they feel they can't get them anymore. Their arguments become utter nonsense and they shouldn't be taken seriously by anyone. The reason for this behavior is fear. They fear the worst case scenario and start screaming from the rooftops. They intimidate and make threats of violence towards others. Fearful people don't think rationally. And when people behave like this, they become dangerous, especially in groups when they start believing that protesting isn't enough anymore. 

To keep Western population in check within reasonable boundaries, laws from different levels of government are introduced and passed. The police and the military were established to preserve the peace so situations don't get out of hand. The police is there to keep people in check and enforce the laws that have been passed by the government. A good and solid government body is essential to preserving peace, law and order, and progress within the country. I find that Calvinism is interesting in pointing out the need for appropriate control. It believes that humans are frail and susceptible to making errors in judgment. Now, I wouldn't use the term, "frail". It is rather inappropriate. What it is saying is that people cannot be trusted, so a good level of control is needed to keep them in check to make sure that serious mistakes aren't taking place and are being repeated. Even invaluable documents such as the Constitution and the bill of rights must be amended over time because ideas, expectations and standards change over time with new discoveries. These documents must be reformed to remain relevant with the present time. If they don't, they lose meaning and people get hurt. The Second Amendment of the Constitution is a great example here that I touched base on already. Humans are imperfect. Nobody is immune to mistakes, poor judgment, and indifference. Humans are historically known to be selfish, violent, arrogant, and malicious to each other to achieve a goal. With this in mind, the founding fathers of the United States of America, drafted the Constitution with key elements to ensure the country is maintained. Institutions of checks and balances, and separation of powers are engrained into daily federal government operations to ensure everything remains well balanced. The President and government chambers check on each other regularly and make sure everything is okay. It is important to note that the head of the government doesn't have absolute power like the monarchies in many European countries had for centuries. This is because a person can be corrupt and make mistakes. There is way too much at stake for a person with too much power to have the authority to control so much. If this happens, other bodies of government can evoke specific measures to control the problem. I think the founding fathers were brilliant in this regard. By using important instruments from the Enlightenment and Calvinism, they were able to create a country that is still around today.

Reproductive freedom is one of the columns that hold up the platform of freedom for women. It is hypocritical for Conservatives to support abolishing female reproductive freedom when they support small governments and their invasive tendencies. Conservativism under the Republican banner demand freedoms be upheld no matter the cost but then they turn around and decide who in society deserves a particular thread of freedom. That sounds like big government to me trying to determine how we should live. That cannot work in the United States of America due to our sacred institutions of constitutional freedoms and rights. The Supreme Court is designed to strengthen and defend the rights that have been introduced by political leaders. By aligning themselves with conservatism under the eyes of the Republican Party, the Supreme Court justices have threatened the very fabric of reproductive freedom which is directly connected to women’s rights. It is unassailable. This cannot stand and Kansas is proof that women’s rights can endure despite what the Supreme Court says.

Laws and rights remind us of where we are in the world. We need them to remind us what we can and cannot do. There is a fine line between peace and pure anarchy. We cannot allow it to blur under any circumstances. The consequences of this outcome can threaten our livelihoods and turn the entire country upside down. We have to remind ourselves that laws are there to protect us from harm. If we begin to ignore the system that is trying to keep things under control, a rocky and uncertain future will take shape.