Give me Liberty or give me death.

 

Give me Liberty or give me death.

Give me Liberty or give me death, are words attributed to Patrick Henry before the American war with England. It is a phrase that stuck in my mind for many years. Is it true?

People often surveyed soldiers who regularly risked their lives, why did they do it. Many fighters on all sides of conflicts said the same thing. We are fighting for freedom, democracy, king, or freedom of religion. Humans fought against fascism, communism, opposing religions, colonial domination and lately wearing masks.

I was raised amongst the first generation of Israelis. Their families and communities were exterminated since they were living in countries that were not their own. There was no hesitation amongst them. You have to fight viciously to be free or you die. Freedom ahead of life.

Now I see a big conflict coming, (so far peacefully,) for equality of minority groups in their own countries. Some are actually the majority but feel like minorities. People are not demanding special privileges, only equal treatment. Those who had privileges are fighting to keep things as they are. Others who have nothing left are begging for their lives to be spared. People first want life and second, they want freedom. Life and freedom get mixed up.

People used to shout “no taxation without representation.” Others wanted freedom from tyranny of ruling elites, churches, or slave owners. Workers wanted freedom to organize and fight for better living conditions. Many fought to be free from others using them or forcing them to assimilate into a stronger group. Its always either fighting for freedom or fighting to subjugate others.

When I was little I fought for freedom with all my tiny might. I remember being only knee-high and fighting my dear mom not wanting to eat what she set up before me. She took the spoon, and I shouted no, I will eat by myself. The next fifteen years or so I spent in a war for freedom. Parents, teachers, older friends, all made an effort to have me do things and I mostly fought back. By the time I was eighteen, I realized the truth.

I was free to do all that I could afford to do, but I was fully shaped by society. Now it was a race for the common carrots on the stick and I was in it for the rest of my natural life. Just like the rest of us, I towed the line, received rewards, suffered punishments, and enjoyed the little options that I could freely choose.

I always sympathized with those who had less power. Kids fight for freedom but often learn that conforming is saving them a lot of hardship. It’s a question of education. Young adults are a different story. They often discover better ways of doing things but are forced to conform to fit into the existing social order that their elders have set up. I’d like them to know that there are many options to improve society and that they have the power to do so.

What is most important in a human’s life? Some will say having various experiences. They often dismiss everyday life for passing well-advertised experience. Others pick a cause and fight for the freedom to do so. There are many who feel endangered and fight for life itself. All living things do that. However, we encounter situations when people sacrifice their own lives for others.

People make a great effort to have and raise children. Commonly they say that when they will get old the children will look after them. People do whatever they can to position the young generations to get ahead. We used to honor the old but we gave it up.

Now I am getting emotional. As we left the farms and the old family-owned businesses, the kids moved. Our daughters became career women and we built ourselves safe jails for seniors. Governments tried to save money and the end of life period evolved to just physical care often less than desirable.

I watched relative after relative get old and coerced to go to a Senior Care facility. They have to chose “life” or “freedom” and the family and doctors chose life. Save lives is our generation’s motto.

Last winter I passed by a gazebo in our local Seniors home. I saw a senior lady I know so I stopped for a talk. She is very old and well educated. She shivered in the winter weather trying to have a cigarette. In her late eighties, she knows smoking doesn’t kill her and if it did it would spell freedom.

I watched the seniors in Ontario care homes dying in misery and neglect. Some day, if I live long enough, it will happen to me. I will remember the words, “give me liberty or give me death.” My family will do what they can but there are no options that I would like available. I will join my crowd of babyboomers and pray to God to take me. Perhaps I will try to hide behind positive thinking. It can not work.

There is no way for an adult to become a toddler in daycare and not feel that their freedom was taken away. “Life” can become a curse instead of a blessing.

I think that the most important responsibility of a society is:

Protect and lead the population and provide the necessities of life. That includes protection from members of society who subjugate others with economics or by force.

We must consider all human beings to be ourselves and set up a system that takes care of all, or we will be the victims of inequality. (check the theory of Interconnectedness. By David Bohm).

A few will cheat and lie, circumventing the system, while others will pay with additional suffering. Life changes unexpectedly. I recommend, “Love each other as yourself” but who knows what is right?

          Here is a link to my blog: https://thesimpleravenspost.blogspot.ca/  Feel free to check other articles and comment.