The Inalienable Eleven

And how are we responding to these rampant threats of despotism and
depravity? Quite naturally, we are answering them with various forms of fear …
*We build walls around our homes to keep out “those criminals”. We close
our curtains to thwart “those perverts”. We refresh our computer passwords and
erect thick firewalls to shield our private lives from “those government agents” …
*We teach our very young children that the world is filled with “bad
people” -- by telling them to never talk to strangers and by giving them cell
phones so that they can always call us “in case of an emergency” …
*We endanger the lives of our loved ones by putting handguns in our
homes to kill intruders that will never arrive; handguns that have a much higher
likelihood of killing or maiming the ones they are intended to protect …
*We place thick locks on our doors and begin to “neighborhood watch”,
and thereby in effect push away our neighbors …
*We look away from strangers, shy away from the “weird” and turn away
from the downtrodden – making a vast crowd of probable allies into an invading
army of possible enemies …
*We allow our governments to whittle away our freedoms; hoping they will
protect us — meekly offering our liberty in exchange for “safety”, but in reality
possessing neither.
Indeed, focusing on our “right to privacy” has imprisoned our bodies and
shackled our Souls … In succumbing to our most primitive desires for security, we
have sacrificed all things worth protecting … In striving to live a “long & healthy”
life, we have destroyed the quality of our living.
And yet, all is not lost, my Friends. We need not succumb to the shadows
of distrust and despair. There is a freedom within us all that, without our consent,
cannot ever be lessened or removed …
… and this is the Freedom of Community.
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