#38 Freedom of Speech -- Appreciation for the First Amendment

Yesterday was the 220th anniversary of the First Amendment -- guaranteeing the right of free speech.  How better  for us to understand that we are free than to be able to speak to our concerns, and voice our opinions or thoughts.  It is our right to contribute to our governance, without interference, and to speak out about the good and the bad.

The citizens of Middle Eastern countries have been fighting and dying to gain these rights -- the Arab Spring has been upon us for a while.  But we in the United States have had this right since the early formation of this nation --- but have we appreciated that right?  As I believe the citizens from the deep south would say -- up until the last 40-50 years it has all just been lip service.

I am beginning to believe that freedom of speech in most of our institutions, governmental or otherwise, is just that -- lip service.  One could ask themselves, why would you pay top leaders within  governmental institutions to just be "yes" men, cronies, if you will, with the top boss.  And I guess if I were one of those "cronies" I would have to say "why not?"  I am getting paid well to do practically nothing as long as I go along with everything that the boss wants.  It is really no skin off of my nose...but is that really true?

The older I get the more I understand each time we give up something of ourselves, we begin to lose who we are -- something is taken away from our person.  At first it seems so innocent, but after a while, all of us who have done varying degrees of giving in, begin to be so far removed from ourselves we don't know who we are any more.  It is like being in fog for so long (years) and then suddenly the fog lifts and you look in the mirror and don't recognize yourself anymore.

Another thing that that I have figured out over the years is that when you have something -- something as seemingly simple of being able to voice an opinion, you do not appreciate it -- you take it for granted.  But when you lose it, you miss it more that anything.  You always want what you don't have.  It's funny how life is that way.

Let's not take our First Amendment right for granted -- take an assessment -- are you really free to voice your opinion?  Do you get talked down to, talked over, or outright dismissed?  If you do -- and we all do from time to time -- maybe it's time to think about that First Amendment and decide if it is worth fighting for -- maybe it is the most important thing to fight for -- the you in you depends upon it.