Life or Freedom?

 

Life or Freedom?

A friend said to me, I have only one life. He believes that at some point, better later, the lights go out and there is nothing more. Could be true. Another believes that he may go to heaven, to be with God, angels, and relatives who passed away. That is good also, but I have some questions. If it is like a great Senior’s lodge, well, I don’t like playing cards or bingo. A Heaven for me must include doing something useful. My friend from the far east believes in reincarnation, which includes animals. Great, but I wouldn’t like to be a spider in my house. A cat would be preferable. There are many more ideas about eternal life, but I only have half a page a week to share my thoughts with my community.

I will wait for later and try to make the best of the life I have right now. I live in a green valley with mountains all around. My home is just big enough for my wife and me and visitors or family who rarely come. In the winter the snow forms a Christmas card scenery and, in the summer, we have lots of flowers and enjoy a beautiful slice of nature. The people around us are wonderful, and new people are showing up all the time. Some are visiting, others live here, and we don’t see all the “not-so-great” things that existed in the big city where we used to live. I pat myself on the back for choosing a great place.

Within 45 minutes from home, we have two hospitals, medical clinics, stores, shops, art all around, sports facilities, fishing, gun and pistol clubs, libraries, restaurants, hotels, markets, schools, spas, you name it. We didn’t yet talk about the outdoor sports opportunities that are growing every day. I am waiting for something with horses to develop and draw Calgarians over. With new people, we see fresh development. New houses, shops and people making little things to sell in the farmer’s market are all drawing more of the same.

We are growing, a little at a time, if we can protect our aging population from growing threats like spreading viruses.

I was watching a hand-filmed video of partisans fighting the Russian army around Kyiv. Those brave guys and girls saved towns from total destruction and lived to tell the story. Using phones, they documented the story. One little town in the suburbs of Kyiv was fought over harder than most because it had the only vaccination clinic that was well stocked by the West. Several partisans sacrificed their lives to keep it going.

I watch the news from a handful of countries that keep reporters on the ground and sometimes switch over to Canadian news. The Canadian station featured bikers driving in Ottawa. They altered the motorbikes to a point in which it was hard to determine what to call the machines. On them rode a group of old guys with wild hair, and wild beards, and behind them rode the Mamas. None seemed in good physical shape like the Ukrainian Partisans. A few old and forgotten veterans with army headgear completed the picture. The news media tried to find out what these folks seeking media attention and perhaps Go Fund Me loot were demonstrating but couldn’t. Freedom and they don’t like Trudeau and vaccines seemed to be central, but not even one could name what freedom meant to them. One short old man with uncombed white hair said he was willing to die for freedom. Wow!

Other than those, there was a crowd of partiers milling about with placards and American or Canadian flags. They got on TV and went home for supper. Ottawa lost three million dollars on related expenses and policing. This time Pierre Poilievre and other opposition attention seekers didn’t take pictures with the “protesters.” The reporter mentioned that luckily, we just had a federal election, so there was no dispute about who is the official democratically elected leader in Canada.

I compare the two groups. People whose country has been invaded with the intent of changing the government and here, folks demanding to be on TV by insisting on endangering the elderly and more vulnerable fellow citizens. Both claim to be fighting for freedom. Could it be that we became a society of spoiled children?

I feel as if I have more than one life and reached Heaven. Born with a small chance of surviving, I made it. Lived in the valley where prophets walked, moved to a biblical mountain, and tasted extreme poverty for a while. Survived wars, deadly diseases, prejudices, as well as harassment. At a critical age, I was tossed into a new society again to start from the bottom up. Each time I ended up better than I was.

As I am writing, more questions about freedom show up. The Taliban declared that women can’t leave home without a male companion and a burka. If they do, their family men will be arrested. The US Supreme Court is debating again, restricting abortions. Can every woman decide for herself if to terminate a pregnancy or do others have a say? Is she one person when another person is in her and who will look after the baby if she can’t or doesn’t want to? Can each of us decide if to stay alive or not and should society restrict suicides? If not, how much help can someone provide to kill themselves?

I believe God created life, but do I have the freedom to keep my life or not? If not, should society be responsible for keeping people alive, and to what degree? Do women have the same rights as men? How about people who lost a war or were born in poverty?

I may have one life that ends and begins again. Where and how is a question of faith. Do I have freedom? Do all people? God, please help us.