I always like to write about freedom, I do not think that there are too many words on this subject, but rather it seems that there are too few, that it is still very necessary to declare to the four winds that freedom is the greatest good we can have.
A quick review of the news allows us to realize that freedom has many enemies. In different parts of the world there are people who suffer because their freedom is violated, because they lost the ability to choose how they want to live their lives.
Many people do not even have the right to choose who they are going to marry, they have no say in such a private and personal matter as who they are going to sleep with, who they are going to have their children with. It is others who decide for them. And that's because for those people freedom has no meaning.
A few days ago I received a shocking news. Mr. Fernando Villavicencio, who was a candidate for the next elections in Ecuador, was murdered in the city of Quito as he was leaving a political event...
I never met Mr. Villavicencio, I don't know if he was a good or bad person, I don't know if he loved his wife and children, if he paid his taxes or not, I don't know if he was a good politician or not. But all that is irrelevant because the important thing is that he paid with his life for the simple fact of aspiring to be president of his country. Some enemy of freedom attempted against that right, some enemy of freedom made the decision to liquidate him so that he could not go forward.
These actions always impress me because I see in them the presence of the enemies of freedom, that is why I never tire of writing about it.
One of the great differences between human beings and the rest of the species that inhabit our planet is that we can choose. While all animals are slaves of instincts and have to blindly follow what nature has imprinted in their genes, humans can do things differently, we have the ability to overcome instincts, we can postpone, for example, sexual enjoyment to complete a task that leads us to a higher goal.
Humans are not slaves of instincts because we can decide, but for that decision to be fully effective we need it to be made freely, because we want it, because we desire it, not because someone else has imposed it.
Without freedom we move away from the human species and move closer to the world of animality.
I have been fortunate to have lived a long time with great freedoms, now I have a few restrictions, but fundamentally I still have the possibility to decide on important issues in my life. I am free to write this article, to read the texts I want, to eat the food I want, to choose my friends solely by my own free will. I would love it if all people could have those freedoms. I would love for my granddaughters to be able to live in a world where they too can make their own choices. That's why it's important not to let our guard down in defense of freedom.
Every time I write something about freedom I think of my mother. She is eighty-seven years old. Every day she gets up and freely decides how she is going to live that day. She doesn't accept anyone imposing any kind of routines on her. If she wanted to have breakfast late or early she decides, if she wanted to eat chicken or fish she decides, if she is going to have four cups of coffee or just one she decides, if she goes to the market to sell her goods or stays at home sleeping she decides. Her children make suggestions and recommendations, but in the end it is she who has the last word.
In her great wisdom she usually tells us that at her age she cannot give up her ability to choose. That as long as she feels life flowing through her veins, she will be the one to make her decisions. I think about that and I don't see any sign of obstinacy or caprice, but the clear conviction of a person who could know freedom throughout her life.
Freedom is our greatest conquest as a human species, the greatest good we can have, but unfortunately it is not eternal and can be easily lost... Preserving it requires the commitment of everyone...
I am making this post as part of the initiative convened by friend @galenkp for week 166.
Thank you for your time.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
My dear friend, your writing took me back many years and I remembered the beautiful lyrics of Nino Bravo's song LIBRE "FREE". A tear ran down my cheek and in my chest a pang for what is today my homeland…
Nino Bravo's song Libre «Free» is inspired by the story of Peter Fechter, a young boy of just over 18, “almost twenty”, who was the first German to try to jump over the newly opened Berlin Wall in 1962. He arrived at the wall accompanied by a friend, Helmut Kubelik, who fortunately did manage to get over it, but Peter, once he “spread his wings” and climbed over it, was stopped by the German soldiers, but as the song says “he was marching so happily that he did not hear the voice that called him” and so, when the stop was not heeded, they fired on the young man who was hit by several shots and fell from the wall into what was called the “no man's zone”.
There he lay there in full view of everyone, citizens, journalists and soldiers, begging for help while he was bleeding to death, unable to move due to the seriousness of his wounds, and with no one daring to pick him up. The Westerners were afraid of being shot at in this new situation and only dared to throw him a first-aid kit, which was of no use to an almost dying Peter Fechter, who was becoming less and less alive by the minute.
The Russians to whom the dead zone belonged waited for an interminable 50 minutes of the young man's agony until they proceeded to pick him up, a moment that is captured in the photo accompanying the text.
The people of Berlin who witnessed the scene shouted at both sides to remedy the young man's death, but no one did anything, even the Western forces prevented any civilians from coming to his aid. In the end, only flowers were left at the scene, thrown by outraged Berliners.
He would not be the last to die at the wall, 260 more were to follow. The last person to die on this long list was Chris Gueffroy, in 1989, who was curiously also twenty years old… Today there is a monument on the site where Peter fell, and there is also a song whose lyrics are worth rereading from this new perspective.
Nino Bravo, wrote it after being impressed by the images of the event that appeared in the world press.
But I am glad to hear that at least the choice is freedom. With sadness I send you a fraternal embrace full of blessings.
I didn't know the story behind the song. It had been a long time since I had listened to Nino Bravo, an author I listened to a lot in the past. Here we continue to strive to keep the flame of freedom alive. Thank you very much for stopping by and enriching the publication with your comment dear @amigoponc . A big hug from Maracay.
Beautiful reflection my friend, that's what I think, freedom is to have that power of choice. Choosing your path, your goals and how you get there. Excellent, waiting with hope for a world where every day there are less enemies of freedom.
I like to think that my granddaughters can live in a world where freedom is a great value respected by all. To be able to choose is the greatest thing we have. Thank you very much for stopping by and commenting dear @doriangel . A big hug from Maracay.
As you say, in some countries or cultures people can't even choose who to marry or have sex with, it must be very hard not to have that kind of freedom.
Yes, it must be very hard to have to live where others decide what you have to do, it is the sad reality of millions of people around the world. Thank you very much for stopping by and commenting dear @verdesmeralda . A big hug from Maracay.
For those who have lived their whole lives with no other limitation than lack of money, it is incredible to think that there are still people forced to live a life they don't want; but that is the reality in many countries and families, unfortunately. Excellent publication. Greetings.
Lack of money is a small evil in relation to the impossibility of making your own decisions. Living under the imposition of other people's decisions must be very difficult. Thank you very much for stopping by and commenting dear @juniorgomez . A big hug from Maracay.
You have actually spoken well friend, freedom is the best thing we all should have because freedom gives peace of mind
Freedom broadens our human possibilities. Thank you very much for stopping by and commenting, dear @the-lead . A big hug from Maracay.
you are welcome
There is a lot to think about in your post... I like how you rounded it out with a reflection on your mother— a woman who seems to have earned her choices through age, yet sets an example that we may not need to wait so long to do the same. Thank you for the interesting read!
My mother has been an example for the whole family, her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren have learned from her the great value of freedom. At her age, she continues to participate in any initiative in defense of freedom. Thank you very much for stopping by and commenting dear @grindan . A big hug from Maracay.