"Your freedom stops where mine begins" my mother once said to me. I would dare to add that my freedom is linked and intertwined with hers.
Let's imagine for a moment a world where all its inhabitants live with no respect for the laws. Imagine all of them stepping on each others toes with no restraint. Imagine a world where everyone can do anything they choose to without impunity. Imagine everyone driving their cars without licenses, without paying any mind to traffic lights, stop signs, or directions. Where they can switch lanes or make u turns whenever, however, or wherever they decide. Imagine garbage bags being dumped everywhere. Imagine all creatures wandering aimlessly foolishly without directions and colliding with each other. Imagine everyone invading each other's space without restraint. How does it feel? Doesn't it feel and sound like a familiar place to us?
On planet earth nowaday there is a new trend where everyone is designing and creating unique and personal world, no matter the cost on the rest of the planet. Everyone is becoming an isolated island, no matter if the rest of the world perishes. What we fail to understand is that when we cough the world sneezes and vice versa. That we are intricately connected to each other like the cells are to each other in our body. Whatever our aspirations, the rest of us, the vulnerable, the challenged and the poor need to be considered.
Freedom and liberty in our time tend to be equated with stubbornness, disorder and chaos. While in fact Liberty is our right to do whatever we decide to do that will not hinder/disturb others'. The right to express ourselves without crossing others' boundaries. Freedom on the other hand is our right to autonomy, to be without physical restraints or shackles. The right to speak our minds without hindrance yet in a respectable language so as not to offend our neighbors' vulnerable ears.
As I get older, the wisdom behind my mother's hidden truth have become more clear and tangible . I learned that being emotionally intelligent in diffusing anger and hatred do not make one weak. That on the contrary, there is more strength in those who can walk away from a fight, give without being noticed, forgive even when forgiveness is not received.
Therefore, being all parts of the same earth and universe let's be mindful of whatever we do. Our freedom of choice was divinely and purposefully given to us as a drive to help us love, build and succeed. Remember that whatever is going on our toes will ultimately affect our faces, our whole body, if we decide to neglect "those minimal parts" as if they weren't parts of our body.
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