Sunday Musings, May 8, 2022
Freedom
On this day on which in the United States and a few other countries such as Australia, honors the role of mothers let us consider whether we want to raise our children to live in community or to live as individuals whose freedom to act may often be at the expense of others.
My teachers have often challenged me to address the issue of freedom as both the freedom from and the freedom to. As I think of the freedom to and the freedom from the following questions continue to tickle my brain:
o What exists when the human sperm and egg have their first tentative meeting? Should one be free to end the first date by taking the morning after pill? Should one be free from pregnancy and childbirth for which they are not financially and emotionally prepared?
o When does a fetus become viable; have individual rights and the freedom to live?
o Should one have the freedom to protect material property with lethal violence? Should the person desperate enough to attempt theft have the freedom from potential lethal violence?
o Should all have the freedom to share in the wealth of the community regardless of particular talents and skills; the freedom from life-sucking poverty?
o Shared reality -If one is unable to have a shared reality because of mental illness, including addiction, should others have the freedom to end the freedom of the mentally ill person to keep breathing; to be treated with compassion and respect?
o Should one have the freedom to potentially infect others or to become a carrier of an illness because they believe they should have the freedom to decide not to take precautions to minimize the spreading of potentially fatal illness? What about non-fatal illness? Should all have the freedom from the willful sharing of potentially fatal illness?
o Should one have the freedom to carry and potentially use a lethal weapon when one disagrees with another or feels slighted or insulted by another? Should one have the freedom from harm if one disagrees with another?
o If no one is harmed by sexual expression of affection or even the sharing of mutual physical need, should one have the freedom to do so without fear of harm? Should one have the freedom to engage in sexual expression if doing so infects another with serious illness? Should one have the freedom to engage in unprotected sexual expression if a sperm and an egg might meet and eventually result in another human being formed? Should one have the freedom from the judgement of others regarding one expression of affection as long as one is not being abusive or lying to one’s partner?
o Should teenagers be free from the conflicting messages about when one becomes an adult? Should they be free from the tyranny of being tried and convicted as an adult when not old enough to purchase alcohol, vote or have other rights?
o Should one have the freedom to hide history or other truths from children by banning books, instructional material, and discussions of certain material when all research shows that children will tell adults when they are “ready” to hear and learn certain material? Should our children be free from the tyranny of adults deciding what truths and what lies they are told?
I could continue with questions regarding freedom for many pages, but I am sure the reader is beginning to open his or her mind to the complexity of the subject of freedom . It is obvious that every freedom to engage in certain behavior or to not be restricted has a corresponding freedom from.
Jesus and other spiritual teachers were not shocked that we are all human and all need to support each other in this life journey. Although theologians and religious leaders have been free to condemn the sinner, all soon discover that the person without sin - without humanness - should throw the first stone. When we humans talk about freedom it makes no sense to talk as if we are isolated beings whose behavior does not affect others.
If we consider Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, Mother Theresa and other wise teachers we have to accept they did not talk about individualism. They talked in terms of being each other’s neighbor; of being “our brother’s keeper”, of accepting that our human brains and the rest of our bodies are subject to illness/misfiring/inability to share reality. They talked in terms of sharing the bounty of the earth,
My understanding is that I have the freedom to act with humility, compassion, and as a member of a community. My understanding is that I should be free from the illusion that I am an individual who needs are more important than those of my neighbors; that I need to be free from the illusion that excess belong to me and not to the community; from the illusion that I own anything or anybody.
Written May 8, 2022
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
Freedom
On this day on which in the United States and a few other countries such as Australia, honors the role of mothers let us consider whether we want to raise our children to live in community or to live as individuals whose freedom to act may often be at the expense of others.
My teachers have often challenged me to address the issue of freedom as both the freedom from and the freedom to. As I think of the freedom to and the freedom from the following questions continue to tickle my brain:
o What exists when the human sperm and egg have their first tentative meeting? Should one be free to end the first date by taking the morning after pill? Should one be free from pregnancy and childbirth for which they are not financially and emotionally prepared?
o When does a fetus become viable; have individual rights and the freedom to live?
o Should one have the freedom to protect material property with lethal violence? Should the person desperate enough to attempt theft have the freedom from potential lethal violence?
o Should all have the freedom to share in the wealth of the community regardless of particular talents and skills; the freedom from life-sucking poverty?
o Shared reality -If one is unable to have a shared reality because of mental illness, including addiction, should others have the freedom to end the freedom of the mentally ill person to keep breathing; to be treated with compassion and respect?
o Should one have the freedom to potentially infect others or to become a carrier of an illness because they believe they should have the freedom to decide not to take precautions to minimize the spreading of potentially fatal illness? What about non-fatal illness? Should all have the freedom from the willful sharing of potentially fatal illness?
o Should one have the freedom to carry and potentially use a lethal weapon when one disagrees with another or feels slighted or insulted by another? Should one have the freedom from harm if one disagrees with another?
o If no one is harmed by sexual expression of affection or even the sharing of mutual physical need, should one have the freedom to do so without fear of harm? Should one have the freedom to engage in sexual expression if doing so infects another with serious illness? Should one have the freedom to engage in unprotected sexual expression if a sperm and an egg might meet and eventually result in another human being formed? Should one have the freedom from the judgement of others regarding one expression of affection as long as one is not being abusive or lying to one’s partner?
o Should teenagers be free from the conflicting messages about when one becomes an adult? Should they be free from the tyranny of being tried and convicted as an adult when not old enough to purchase alcohol, vote or have other rights?
o Should one have the freedom to hide history or other truths from children by banning books, instructional material, and discussions of certain material when all research shows that children will tell adults when they are “ready” to hear and learn certain material? Should our children be free from the tyranny of adults deciding what truths and what lies they are told?
I could continue with questions regarding freedom for many pages, but I am sure the reader is beginning to open his or her mind to the complexity of the subject of freedom . It is obvious that every freedom to engage in certain behavior or to not be restricted has a corresponding freedom from.
Jesus and other spiritual teachers were not shocked that we are all human and all need to support each other in this life journey. Although theologians and religious leaders have been free to condemn the sinner, all soon discover that the person without sin - without humanness - should throw the first stone. When we humans talk about freedom it makes no sense to talk as if we are isolated beings whose behavior does not affect others.
If we consider Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, Mother Theresa and other wise teachers we have to accept they did not talk about individualism. They talked in terms of being each other’s neighbor; of being “our brother’s keeper”, of accepting that our human brains and the rest of our bodies are subject to illness/misfiring/inability to share reality. They talked in terms of sharing the bounty of the earth,
My understanding is that I have the freedom to act with humility, compassion, and as a member of a community. My understanding is that I should be free from the illusion that I am an individual who needs are more important than those of my neighbors; that I need to be free from the illusion that excess belong to me and not to the community; from the illusion that I own anything or anybody.
Written May 8, 2022
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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