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April 27, 2005
Basic Human Needs - Freedom
Basic Human Need: Freedom.
Being (qualities): autonomy, passion, self-esteem, open-mindedness.
Having (things): equal rights.
Doing (actions): dissent, choose, run risks, develop awareness.
Interacting (settings): anywhere.
As an American, it's sometimes hard to think about freedom without immediately getting all patriotic. Or, perhaps, un-patriotic, as I think about the restrictions on civil liberties imposed by the Patriot Act, the continuing discrimination against gays promoted by the Christian right, and my inability to choose a toxin-free lifestyle because of current environmental regulations.
Sigh. Despite the slogan, "Land of the Free, Home of the Brave", America can be a very stifling place to live, especially seen from the Swedish perspective. On the other hand, it's all a sliding scale and I'd rather be an American than an Iraqi right now—despite their recent "liberation".
But as I look at the list above, freedom suddenly shifts from a national level to a personal one. From this perspective, the situation looks much brighter.
1. I have an incredible amount of autonomy (look at me, moving to Sweden on a whim!);
2. I have a high self-esteem (some might argue arrogance—but who cares about those peons?);
3. I have equal rights (except for the right to marry a woman, which the lack of males to date is driving me to consider);
4. I fully embrace my right to dissent (just look at my history with this Master's program);
5. I like to think that I'm open-minded. At least, I can look back and see dramatic shifts in my opinions as my awareness about issues grew. And on some issues, I choose to stand my ground; and
6. Finally, as an American, it's my right and responsibility to challenge the things I disagree with (oh, how long that list is getting!) and I think I do a good job of making my voice heard (in fact, I made an international phone call to the Maryland Governor's office today to tell him to sign some pending legislation).
That's freedom, baby.
[Incidentally, this is the last of the "basic human needs" entries. I'm now accepting other ideas for the next introspective series.]
Comments
Ooo, how about the seven deadly sins??!! That could be juicy! ;)
Posted by: Mary at April 28, 2005 07:13 PM
