Are We Free or Are We Tolerated

Steven Stills wrote the words “Find the cost of freedom, buried in the ground, Mother earth will swallow you, lay your body down”. 

Freedom has a price, but it is something that cannot be bought. Sure, if you have enough money, you can buy your way from the powers that be to do and get away with doing just about anything you want. That is not freedom though, that is called tolerance. So, the question must be asked. Do we have what can be considered true freedom or do we have something that should be considered tolerance? 

What is freedom? Old webster defines it as “the quality or state of being free”. I was taught that you shouldn't use the word itself in defining the the idea that you were trying to understand so let's look at the word free. Are we really free? Going back to webster we find the primary definition of free is a : having the legal and political rights of a citizenb : enjoying civil and political liberty em>free citizens> c : enjoying political independence or freedom from outside domination d : enjoying personal freedom : not subject to the control or domination of another. 

The statement that strikes me is d : enjoying personal freedom : not subject to the control or domination of another. “Not subject to the control or domination of another.” This suggests that to truly be free, that we would never be subject to the rules of another, never be dominated by laws governing our actions. A society cannot exist under that type of scenario. We must have a system of rules, regulations, laws if you will to be able to reside peacefully with our neighbors. These rules and regulations give us a restricted ration of that which we call freedom. They set boundaries of tolerance of what is and is not allowed concerning our behavior towards others and our country. 

So, again I ask are we free or are we tolerated? 

We have what is said to be 5 core freedoms. Freedom of assembly, speech, press, religion and the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. 

Do we have the freedom, the right to assemble, or do we need to obtain a government permit? 

Do we have the freedom to say whatever we wish or are there restrictions as to certain words when they incite others to a behavior that results in violence? 

Do we have freedom of the press or are we subject to the opinions of the editors when they don't care for the reporters article? Can the press just print what they want or are they subject to the need of secrecy at times to protect our servicemen and country as a whole?

Do we have freedom of religion, does that right only belong to certain religions? 

Can we actually petition the government to redress grievances or are we simply starting a process that gets put right into the hands of of the people we see as the problem? 

Are we free or are we tolerated.