The time is here to remember the sacrifices, to celebrate the people and to exercise our patriotism. It is Independence Day. For the majority of us Americans, this day marks the calendar with a few extra days off from work to unwind. Perhaps getting together with friends to have grilled meats is a plan that you are familiar with. We wave flags, the pools get a work out and communities are laced with the red, white and blue. Throughout the day, we commemorate our freedoms with slashed prices on your favorite new whatever; we recount the details during emergency room visits for dismembered digits and look on, in disbelief, as the neighborhood asshole exercises his mouth in stead of his right to remain silent. Ahhh, you can almost smell the celebration burning on the grill.
This posting comes to you on the heels of a debate over a certain confederate flag and its companion, the American flag emblazoned with a "Don't Tread on Me" trademark being displayed through the campgrounds affixed to a pole and vehicle. I am not here to justify any one position regarding the sanctity of a cultural icon. It has a history, which I feel is important, though I have not had first hand experience with its social impact. I am interested in noting freedoms over rights and rules. It is specifically rules that comes to mind as an incident that cultivates my thoughts involves an organization that has implemented a rule that no flags of political or confrontational nature are to be displayed on the campground's property. For over a year, institutions and organizations have implemented similar policies in response to our societies softening backbone and our cries for change. In an effort to stay neutral in these cultural conversations, rules have been put in place to calm the masses and keep the peace. Peace and calm are rarely the case when it would seem that rules come so close to soiling people's rights.
The problem starts with humans being involved. You give them rights to practice their free will. All goes well until one human's rights begins to impact another's rights or beliefs or values or just their plain common sense. When these situations occur, our fallible personalities collide and so begins the downward spiral of consideration, compassion and decency. Rules become necessary. Without rules, humans would drive over whatever surface is available. With no rules people would challenge each other with no regard to rights or anything else that resembles civility. Chaos would ensue and our testament to humanity would fail, miserably. Rules plainly keep humans from being stupid which does not guarantee freedom from stupidity.
Case in point. The neighboring campsite displays flags upon their bicycles as they cruise throughout the park. Park officials make contact with the guardians of said flags, bicycles and riders. The rules, to which the campers have agreed to by signing on the dotted line of their membership contract, are explained and enforced. Now, it is conveyed that the rules are infringing upon their rights even though their rights are infringing on the rights of others. So when does consideration come into play during this dilemma? It typically doesn't, especially when it comes to rights. It would seem that when you give someone the right to practice as they please, they lose all sense of what that means to the person next to them. We lose the ability to feel what effect our practices have on other's until the tables are turned. The rule acts as a poorly managed vehicle to the understanding of each of our rights. It conveys that, although you may be the most talented driver on the road, you will keep your vehicle between the appropriate lines in consideration of others using the same roads. So, although your beliefs about a particular flag may illustrate to the world your dedication and conviction to the south and it's history, it doesn't give you the right to be an asshole to others who come to find that particular flag a reminder of a painful era. On the other hand, you have every right to be an asshole. So long as you remember that others have the right, with in the rules, to call you out.
As you celebrate the right to freedom, remember that it was independence from the tyranny of those to wished to control our lives. Our independence was granted to all of us, collectively, and to each of us, individually. Our individual human rights play an important role in our freedom. We are each free from ideals that don't align with our beliefs; free from conforming to values that conflict with our morals; free from practices that are empty of compassion.
Celebrate this Independence Day with your fellow humans wit a dose of consideration, compassion and thoughtfulness.... and don't go blowin' off your hand. It's in the rules.
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