As an anchor assignment last week in Global Studies, I wrote up a nice essay concerning freedom of speech, how far one can go before they cross the limits, and how I think people are too sensitive. So read it if you want, it basicly reflects how I believe. 
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Title: Say What You Will
Words are the basis of our communicative world. Through negotiations and constitutions, the governments of Earth declare how they run, what they believe, their loyalty to their citizens; the very principals of how a government operates. But these set rules of ethics don’t always reflect how everyone believes. All people, whether they realize it or not, have the ability to believe whatever they please, no matter what punishments may be set forth for those who do. There has been, is, and always will be the human mind, which is eternally curious of its surroundings. Man’s freethinking will continue to lead him to eventually bend the rules, if not break them entirely. In fact, this has been done in the past, more than once.
An excellent example of freethinking is a man named Socrates, a self-proclaimed philosopher who dwelled in the ancient Greek city of Athens. As an Athenian, Socrates was naturally expected to follow the ways of everyone around him; worship the same gods, and respect and obey laws and courts. But although he wasn’t terribly dashing on the outside, Socrates’ ever-questioning mind was sharp as a needle and agile as a fox. He was always suspicious of the system and how it worked, and invited others he met in the city streets to answer such rhetorical questions as “Where, in which of these bazaars, can I buy goodwill and virtue?” Nobody had been asked anything of that sort before, and this sparked a chain-reaction of knowledge that grew in the citizen’s minds.
In his studious lifetime, Socrates gathered a handful of followers who shared his intellectual mindset. But when his freethinking led him to speak his own opinion of the demigods and laws of Athens, unrest rose in the city and courts. Who was this idiot, and what did he think he was doing? Speaking out at the gods was blasphemy, and questioning their existence entirely, surely that was worthy of death! To pay for this disobedience, Socrates was forced to drink a vial of hemlock. As the poison set in and killed him, his friends and followers (who must’ve been too cowardly to speak out!) looked on helplessly.
Socrates died with the dignity; he lived by his word, and perished by it. Now tell me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that an admirable quality? Certainly not a reason to die, right? All people, young and old, educated and inexperienced, should have the right to say and think whatever they please, so long as it doesn’t affect another person in a negative way.
As much as one might label him a genius, I think that inside each and every one of us exists a Socrates; the tendency to question when we are unsure, and to decide for ourselves what to believe. But it is when these morals collide that anger ensues, and this is because of a vast intolerance among this world. I think that people are way too overly-sensitive to what others say. If you believe a certain way, and someone else speaks out on that particular view, (and I speak to all the terrorists who may be reading this paper) don’t go gun them down just because you got your feelings hurt!
All people are individual, and as humanity advances in time and our diversity grows, so should our tolerance. If only the world was “believe, and let believe,” it would be a superior, peaceful, and more efficient place to live in. It should be that simple! But why isn’t it? Why is it that, when certain religions or beliefs contradict, violence and hatred often results? You can’t force another person to have the same viewpoint as you if they don’t want it, and hating that person for their differences isn’t going to solve the problem. Lashing out at those who share different outlooks will only make them reject your beliefs even more.
Freedom of speech is critical if we want to allow everyone to share their ideas. However, we must also recognize the limits, the confines of what we can say and what we cannot. For example, if a person disagrees with a measure in their state law, they should have the right to speak out or protest against it. But say if that same person went to a magazine like “Time” or “People” and told them that the actor Johnny Depp was homosexual, and this negatively affected Johnny’s big-time Hollywood career, Mr. Depp should have the right to file a lawsuit.
I think the restrictions of speech in ancient Athens were ridiculous, but Socrates did not die in vain. He planted a seed of knowledge and curiosity no one could prevent from growing, and people will continue to use him as an example of a man ahead of his time.
Let me ask you a question. What would the world be like if nobody was allowed to raise their voice in objection? Would we resemble mindless robots that are scripted to follow the orders of our government watchdogs?
I encourage you to look around, behold the free world you live in, and appreciate it. You can say pretty much anything that comes to your mind.
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Title: Say What You Will
Words are the basis of our communicative world. Through negotiations and constitutions, the governments of Earth declare how they run, what they believe, their loyalty to their citizens; the very principals of how a government operates. But these set rules of ethics don’t always reflect how everyone believes. All people, whether they realize it or not, have the ability to believe whatever they please, no matter what punishments may be set forth for those who do. There has been, is, and always will be the human mind, which is eternally curious of its surroundings. Man’s freethinking will continue to lead him to eventually bend the rules, if not break them entirely. In fact, this has been done in the past, more than once.
An excellent example of freethinking is a man named Socrates, a self-proclaimed philosopher who dwelled in the ancient Greek city of Athens. As an Athenian, Socrates was naturally expected to follow the ways of everyone around him; worship the same gods, and respect and obey laws and courts. But although he wasn’t terribly dashing on the outside, Socrates’ ever-questioning mind was sharp as a needle and agile as a fox. He was always suspicious of the system and how it worked, and invited others he met in the city streets to answer such rhetorical questions as “Where, in which of these bazaars, can I buy goodwill and virtue?” Nobody had been asked anything of that sort before, and this sparked a chain-reaction of knowledge that grew in the citizen’s minds.
In his studious lifetime, Socrates gathered a handful of followers who shared his intellectual mindset. But when his freethinking led him to speak his own opinion of the demigods and laws of Athens, unrest rose in the city and courts. Who was this idiot, and what did he think he was doing? Speaking out at the gods was blasphemy, and questioning their existence entirely, surely that was worthy of death! To pay for this disobedience, Socrates was forced to drink a vial of hemlock. As the poison set in and killed him, his friends and followers (who must’ve been too cowardly to speak out!) looked on helplessly.
Socrates died with the dignity; he lived by his word, and perished by it. Now tell me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that an admirable quality? Certainly not a reason to die, right? All people, young and old, educated and inexperienced, should have the right to say and think whatever they please, so long as it doesn’t affect another person in a negative way.
As much as one might label him a genius, I think that inside each and every one of us exists a Socrates; the tendency to question when we are unsure, and to decide for ourselves what to believe. But it is when these morals collide that anger ensues, and this is because of a vast intolerance among this world. I think that people are way too overly-sensitive to what others say. If you believe a certain way, and someone else speaks out on that particular view, (and I speak to all the terrorists who may be reading this paper) don’t go gun them down just because you got your feelings hurt!
All people are individual, and as humanity advances in time and our diversity grows, so should our tolerance. If only the world was “believe, and let believe,” it would be a superior, peaceful, and more efficient place to live in. It should be that simple! But why isn’t it? Why is it that, when certain religions or beliefs contradict, violence and hatred often results? You can’t force another person to have the same viewpoint as you if they don’t want it, and hating that person for their differences isn’t going to solve the problem. Lashing out at those who share different outlooks will only make them reject your beliefs even more.
Freedom of speech is critical if we want to allow everyone to share their ideas. However, we must also recognize the limits, the confines of what we can say and what we cannot. For example, if a person disagrees with a measure in their state law, they should have the right to speak out or protest against it. But say if that same person went to a magazine like “Time” or “People” and told them that the actor Johnny Depp was homosexual, and this negatively affected Johnny’s big-time Hollywood career, Mr. Depp should have the right to file a lawsuit.
I think the restrictions of speech in ancient Athens were ridiculous, but Socrates did not die in vain. He planted a seed of knowledge and curiosity no one could prevent from growing, and people will continue to use him as an example of a man ahead of his time.
Let me ask you a question. What would the world be like if nobody was allowed to raise their voice in objection? Would we resemble mindless robots that are scripted to follow the orders of our government watchdogs?
I encourage you to look around, behold the free world you live in, and appreciate it. You can say pretty much anything that comes to your mind.
