Freedoms
Freedoms are the backbone of all moral societies. This doesn’t make every free decision or uttered word correct, however if there is anything that we can learn from the Torah (Bible) that is; God has given us the Freedom to choose both in language and in action. Yes, there are consequences for choosing either to perform mitzvoth or sin, however, God never took the free choices of life away from man. This freedom began with Adam and Eve’s choice to eat from the Tree of Knowledge and continued throughout the rest of the Torah. Mankind has both prospered and suffered, due to our freedom to choose, however overall, the choices of individuals like Abraham, Moses, and many others have put us on a path towards dynamic creation and the betterment of mankind.
The problem with silencing free speech is not that it squelches that which is already known, rather it aborts the future and that which hasn’t been written. Author, Judy Blume, whose books have inspired thousands, if not more of our youth, once wrote: “It’s not just books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers.” My question is; are we ruining the future by trying to “protect” the present?
In order to answer this question, I look towards our sources. The Psalmist wrote, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14) If we were to dissect this verse, we could understand that not all words that come out of our mouths are acceptable (i.e., positive), therefore the conditional words, “be acceptable.” We can conclude from this, that the path towards a better life is not by restricting the words/voices of individuals, but rather shifting attitudes, acceptability and thereby verbiage.
In the end, it is the freedoms to both fall and rise that authors in the next generations greatest books and thinkers. We as people of belief, courage and morality, must have more faith in God and ourselves if we are to prosper. We should not prohibit freedoms, rather we should promote them. For imagine, where we would be today, if past generations had succeeded, as they tried, in banishing the Bible, Shakespeare, Galileo and so many more. We must reinforce God’s light, and this means safeguarding the Freedoms that He gave us.