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|    talk.religion.bahai    |    Discussion of the Baha'i Faith    |    33,166 messages    |
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|    Message 32,754 of 33,166    |
|    NUR to Bob    |
|    Re: Freedom (Re-posted)    |
|    17 May 20 19:45:40    |
      From: wahidazal66@gmail.com              On Sunday, 17 May 2020 01:21:22 UTC+10, Bob wrote:       > What is more valuable to a free man than his freedom? Is it safety?        Comfort? Love? Whatever treasures one can name, each of them, without       freedom, is sooner or later, forfeit.        >        > Our freedoms are not separate items on a list. They are all interlocked and       interdependent. Take away any part of freedom, and all of it begins to       crumble. Without freedom of speech, all of freedom suffocates in a soundless       vacuum. Without freedom        of worship, the soul of freedom is lost. Without the freedom to arm oneself,       defeat by tyranny is inevitable. Freedom is a way of life.       >        > Moreover, add to the body of freedom anything that it is not, then there       also, freedom is cheapened and eroded. There is no freedom from being       offended, no freedom from want, nor any freedom that guarantees happiness.        >        > Freedom is not license; it is a heavy responsibility. Used unwisely, for       example to wallow in the excesses of physical pleasure, it is wasted and soon       lost. Its abuse brings misfortune and ruin. The proper use of freedom is to       employ it in the        promotion of justice tempered with mercy, to protect the innocent, to educate,       to produce the advances in the arts and sciences which give mankind dignity       and a sense of worth. It nourishes both the inward self, and at the same       time, guides us outward,        toward that which is greater than the self.       >        > Nothing about freedom is simple or easy. That is why so many men squander       it, and cast it as one might pearls before swine. That is why tyrants arise,       armed not only with the sword, but with lies and deception, with promises of       riches that are not        earned, and of treasures that are stolen from others.       >        > Freedom is not given; it is taken, by force if necessary. The free man       takes his freedom, and then shares its blessings with others who also strive       to take their own freedom. The free man owes his freedom to no one but God,       and he readily expresses        his gratitude for it to Him, and to those who have bled and suffered and died       to protect it.       >        > The free man seeks for his own good first, but does so that he may seek it       for others as well. Indeed, the free man is selfless enough to lay down his       life for it. As with love, freedom is not selfish, nor boastful, nor       arrogant. It seeks not to        rule others, nor to take away anyone else’s freedom, but rather to serve       freedom’s cause for everyone who will have it.       >        > Pity those who do not value freedom above all else, for to them, all else       will soon be lost.       > .              Freedom is a good thing but it also a subjective thing. Individually freedom       without individual obligations and duties, and especially social contract       collectively, becomes a form of tyranny. I don't use the word anarchy because       this word is abused and        most people do not understand what political anarchy actually means.              That aside, when white men speak of freedom it is usually the loss of some       kind of privilege, and not freedom per se, that they usually complain about.       Almost all conservatives argue freedom from this fallacy.              --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05        * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)    |
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