“Our freedom is precious. Priceless, in fact. There is nothing greater. Patrick Henry said, ‘Give me liberty or give me death.’ We are nothing without our freedom, so nothing must stand in our way as we pursue it,” Adam reached his conclusion. “We must clear away anything…or anyone…that stands in the way of freedom. If we truly value our freedom, if we would rather die than be without it, we must never allow anyone to take it away!”
After the speech, Adam’s wife, Eva, quietly asked, “Adam, don’t you think you were a little extreme tonight?”
“Not really…what do you mean?” Adam replied.
“Well, I agree that freedom is very important, but you said, ‘there is nothing greater.’ Don’t you think other things are just as important, if not more important?”
“Such as?”
“What about God? Family? Us…you and me? What about love, Adam?”
“You know I was being rhetorical, right? Of course, those are important. I was just making a point.”
“But your audience didn’t know that.”
“Of course, they did. They wouldn’t be so naïve as to elevate freedom over everything else. They understood I was only making a point.”
“Are you sure? They were hanging on your every word. They believe you, Adam. They trust you.”
“They do, don’t they?” Adam said with a note of self-satisfaction.
“Yes, they do. Most of them believe you’re speaking for them, saying things they wish they had the guts to say. And some of them just repeat what you’ve told them, word-for-word. You shouldn’t underestimate the power of beliefs.”
“Maybe. But freedom is important. It’s there in all our founding documents. ‘Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’ – ‘…to secure the blessings of liberty…’ – ‘Proclaim liberty throughout the land’ – there’s a long list. Nothing else matters if we’re not free. God gave us free will. How can we use it if someone else controls us every moment of the day?”
“Isn’t there a difference between liberty, in the sense that we’re not being held captive, and liberty as the concept that we can make our own decisions about what we think or say, or how we act, but only up to a point? John Locke said liberty isn’t the same as license. We’re not free to do absolutely anything we want, are we? What about self-control? What about doing the right thing?”
“Sure, we should do the right thing. And obviously we can’t just rob or kill people. But other than common sense stuff like that, no one has a right to control what we think, say, or do. What I choose I choose. What you choose you choose. That shouldn’t be up to anyone else.”
“What if something you or I choose to do harms, or could potentially harm others? What if ‘submitting’ to certain restrictions keeps others safe, but exercising our ‘freedom’ ends up causing harm?” She put air quotes around the key words.
“I know what you’re trying to do,” Adam replied. “But it will take a lot to convince me to give up my freedoms. I know the ten commandments. I try to keep them. But apart from that, I’m like Patrick Henry. Without liberty, what’s the point of living?”
“Look, Adam. All I’m trying to say is that freedom is not absolute. There are many things more important than freedom. Sometimes service to others is more important. What about respect, acceptance, forgiveness, and compassion? Do you want everyone to act like animals and fight for dominance, with each of us asserting our freedom to challenge others?”
“Who said anything about wanting to act like an animal? I just want to be free to do what I want. That doesn’t mean I will actually do it.”
“You won’t, but maybe someone else will. When someone is free to stand their ground, another person might get hurt…or killed. We’ve seen it happen. When people are free to compete for supremacy, others can suffer. Didn’t one of your beloved patriots say, ‘the price of liberty is eternal vigilance?’ In the course of human events, it seems to me, often the few have exploited the many in the name of freedom.”
“I see what you mean.”
“Let me tell you a story, Adam.
“Once upon a time, a man and a woman lived in what we would call paradise. They got along famously, never arguing about anything, except maybe what fruit to have for lunch. But then it was a playful disagreement, usually ending with each feeding the other a fruit that was as delicious as the other originally had in mind. They had freedom, but within the boundaries their Creator had set. They could do anything they wanted, but just not go inside a certain cave at the far end of the valley.
Their Creator said,
This valley is wide, and long, and deep, abundant with life, with a pure flowing river, gorgeous trees, and many edible plants. There is no need to live anywhere else. See that you take care of this good place and all things that live in it. You may roam anywhere in this valley. But do not enter the cave marked by a solitary fruit tree. If you do, the consequences will be more serious than you can imagine.
“One day, they began to wonder what could be in the cave. The thought crept into their minds: what harm would it do if we have a little look? After all, what did the word, ‘enter’ really mean? How could there be ‘consequences’ if they didn’t stay in the cave?
“For many days, the man and the woman talked about whether or not to satisfy their growing curiosity. At last, the woman could no longer resist. She decided to find out what was in the cave. It would take less than a minute, she thought. So, she rationalized: I’ll take a quick peek, then come straight back to the valley.
“Inside, she found a woman chained to the wall. One who looked much like herself, or so she thought. The only times she had seen herself were when the water along the bank of the river was still, so she couldn’t be sure.
“When the captive woman heard her approach, she called out, ‘Who’s there? If you can understand me, please release me! I demand my freedom.’
‘What is freedom?’ the explorer asked.
“The woman who resembled her replied, ‘The ability to do whatever I want, to go wherever I want. At the other end of this cave there is a whole new world to explore. If you let me go, I can at last see what is out there.’
‘But the valley has everything we could ever need. Why would you want to go anywhere else?’
‘To exercise my freedom! I am in chains only because I tried to exercise my freedom. Please release me!’
“By this time, the woman thought she might have stayed too long in the cave, so she ran out without releasing her double. Later, she told her mate what had happened. He wasn’t happy, at first, but soon his own curiosity got the better of him. He did as his mate had done, expecting to find a woman chained inside the cave.
“He was surprised that he did not see a woman who looked like his mate, but a man who looked very much like him, also chained to the wall. The man begged him, ‘Please release me! I demand my freedom. I want to see what is outside this valley.’
‘I shouldn’t even be in here. Why should I release you?’
‘Because there may be intruders…invaders planning to take over the valley. They may soon ruin everything. I must go and see what they are up to.’
‘I hadn’t thought of that before. What do you think you will do about these…invaders?’
‘I want to stop them. To protect the valley. To protect what matters to us. But I can’t do that without my freedom.’
“So, the man released the one who looked like him. He soon found his mate and they both followed the cave to the outside world.
“The Creator appeared to them and said, I promised there would be serious consequences. Then the Creator closed the mouth of the cave and immediately it was overgrown with briars and weeds.
“The Creator continued,
You saw yourselves chained in the cave because you desired the gift of freedom. I have given you that gift. However, you will no longer live in the valley. It is now closed to you, forever. You must live in the outside world, and to do that, you must exercise your freedom – responsibly. If you fail to take care of others, if you treat those you do not know or understand as intruders or invaders, if you use your freedom selfishly, you will reap the chaos and suffering that you sow. Freedom is important, but not as important as love, my children. If it is to be good for those who possess it, freedom is a gift that must be used for the good of others. To use your freedom as an excuse to neglect or exploit others is to enslave yourselves as well. You cannot be free unless all are free. And others can’t be free if they are forced to pay the price for your freedom. You have chosen to be free. The price of that freedom is the unending challenge of living in a larger and larger world. See that you use your freedom wisely.
“The Creator faded from view. The man and the woman began their journey, free to decide where they wanted to go. They immediately had an argument. He wanted to go east, while she wanted to go west.”
After a moment, Adam responded, “Oh, Eva. I’ve used my freedom to convince others that freedom is all that matters. I don’t know where you found that story, but I promise to take it to heart.”
“That’s all I can ask, my dear. Now, how about using some of your precious freedom to help me do the dishes?”
“OK, I’ll wash. And you’ll dry. Deal?”
“Deal.”
MurrayWorks 