The Freedom to be Free (Rerun: 03 April 2007)

"Freedom honors and unleashes human creativity -- and creativity determines the strength and wealth of nations." -George W. Bush, Nov. 2003.

Freedom. What a meaningful word! It opens up a wealth of significance for so many in the span of just two syllables. Free-dom. No word is used more often, I imagine, in the US political realm, and yet does our President know what he says when he makes such comments? Do we understand what he wants to tell us? Are we on the same page? It's not clear to me that we are. Does freedom lead us to allow for anything? Should we encourage human expression in any capacity? Let's say we take Bush out of the picture and explore the notion of creative freedom.

I've mentioned before my stance on human sensibilities. Everyone has a sore spot or two, just as everyone has prejudices which are liable to offend. This is a reality that we all must confess to be true at the risk of missing the boat to social progress. Where does that leave us with creative freedom? It is much easier for us to advocate freedom when it is we who do the offending than if the tables were to turn. Nevertheless, we cannot pick and choose when it comes to this basic freedom. As it turns out, one man's trash is another man's treasure. We should not, however, stoop to censorship if a man's treasure is trashed. Censorship does not achieve anything beyond the cultivation of fear and alienation. It is riddled with a lack of trust in society. If what Bush said on that fateful day has any weight, we ought to celebrate the human spirit. If you agree, are you prepared to face the results? One such consequence appears as follows: My Sweet Lord.


Ought the only governance of human expression be self-governance? Freedom. What a meaningful word indeed.