Enough with all this “freedom” already.
Sure, it was a catchy little phrase as a kid when we said “it’s a free country” every time we were told what not to do. As teenagers we learned about the struggles of freedom throughout history, and then many of us had a lot of fun being defiant and showcasing our own personal views of freedom in college and throughout our 20s. But after that, reality starts to seep in, doesn’t it?
Freedom: Do we really have it, do we really need it, and do we really want it? Yeah, we sort of have it, but I’m not convinced anymore that we really need it, or even should want it. I mean, the world has been around anywhere from 6,000 to 800 trillion billion years, depending upon whom you ask, and most of that time was spent without freedom, yet we’re still here and life obviously went on, right?
In another 6,000 (or 800 trillion billion) years, is it really going to matter whether you were forced to join a union or not? Of course not, so why should you be given the freedom to choose what organizations you support? And if you start a private business, there is just no reason that you and your patrons should be given enough freedom to decide whether or not you want to smoke or be around secondhand smoke. Most of us simply aren’t smart enough to handle that level of freedom.
Sure, you currently have the freedom to choose which restaurants you patronize, smoking or non, but that is also an antiquated notion, one that certainly needs to be addressed with future legislation. Besides, some of those slop houses are just plain bad for you, which once again points out just how crazy the notion of individual freedom is. You see, we give you a little bit of this “freedom,” and you choose to clog your arteries with fried foods and cheese.
The list of freedoms that must be removed is exhausting, ranging from your financial decisions to how you raise your children. It’s time that our politicians quit screwing around and get serious about removing our freedoms before society basically implodes in on itself under the burdensome weight of liberty. My only request is that they save the freedom of sarcasm for last.
AARON KNIGHT
Madison Township Advisory Board member
Monroeville
