I Believe in Freedom

I believe in Freedom.  I believe that our Founding Fathers wrote up a brilliant framework upon which our nation would become great.  I believe they had freedom in mind as they did so.  As we approach the anniversary of our Declaration of Independence, I find myself thinking about that freedom they dreamed of. 

We have a lot of laws these days.  A lot.  Do any of us know them all?  I wonder how many we break on a daily basis.  Some people look at laws as shackles, but I believe laws are meant to provide safety and freedom.  At least, that was their initial purpose.  I think we've left that path in some ways and begun to make laws to force people to do things against their own free will.  That is getting sticky. 

When I was in High School, I took a class that sent me back to my old elementary school to be an aide to a teacher.  The class was meant for those who were thinking of pursuing teaching as a career.  The schools had recently developed a new system and I found it to be a good way to do things.  They had thrown out all the old rules and instead had just one rule that would essentially cover all the old rules.  "No one has the right to interfere with the learning or safety of others."  I like it!  I have often considered this rule as I moved through life.  I think about it while I'm driving.  (Obviously we're not so worried about interfering with learning, but that word can be adjusted to fit the situation.)  Maybe in general we can just substitute the word FREEDOM.  Don't get in the way of someone else's freedom or safety. 

Freedom has to go both ways.  If I want freedom, I have to also extend freedom.  Too much of what happens in today's legal chaos is attempting to squelch the freedom of one group in favor of that of another.  It just can't happen that way, and that's where things get dicey.  Our "hot button" topics are usually ones where people have a different view of morality.  One person wants to make laws against behavior that others don't see as wrong.  It gets messy really fast. 

I think the most obvious issue is homosexuality.  I am Christian, so my Bible says it's a sin.  That isn't my opinion, it's what the book says.  (Whether the book is Divinely inspired or not or correctly translated is a separate issue.)  But as I believe it is, and I believe God is good, I hold the belief that when He calls something sin, we should avoid that behavior because it is harmful to us. 

So where does freedom come in?  If I stick to my belief that I have to extend freedom, then I come to the place where I have to say that if someone chooses that path, they are free to do so.  I'm not out trying to make laws to stop people from participating in homosexual relationships.  Yes, I know that some Christians are out there doing that, but I am not.  This is where intellectual consistency has to come into play. 

I believe God gave us freedom to choose.  Our choices have natural consequences, so we should try to choose wisely.  Contrary to popular belief, God is not sitting up in Heaven waiting to chuck lightning bolts at anyone who commits a sin.  That's just silly.  He gives us free will, and our choices decide how our lives play out.  So if God does that, shouldn't I do it too? 

It gets more difficult when some people decide to try to force their way on someone else.  It is tempting to fight back and try to hurt them or make laws to control them.  Just as they don't want us telling them how to live, we don't want them forcing us to do something that feels like participation in something we believe to be wrong.  We see it happening.  It isn't right.  Put the shoe on the other foot.  When these cake baking stories started hitting the news, I saw an interview with a lesbian couple who owned a t-shirt shop.  They spoke up in defense of the Christian cake bakers.  They saw the dilemma behind the decision.  They put up another example to show why they believed in the Christian baker's freedom to decline.  What if the Westboro Baptist "church" came in and wanted this lesbian couple to make shirts for one of their hateful anti-gay protests?  We must have the freedom to not participate in behavior we think is wrong. It is anti freedom to use the government to force someone to participate in something that goes against their conscience.  If their opinion is wrong, let the free market decide that.

In California currently there is a bill working thru the system that is wanting to make it illegal to sell resources with the intent of changing someone's sexual orientation from gay to straight.  They want to call it "consumer fraud," indicating that it isn't possible.  30 people spoke to the legislature who were formerly gay.  Considering what a super minority there must be of such a demographic, that seems like a pretty good number representing a particular idea.  Even faced with this kind of proof, the representatives are still voting for the bill.  I consider this a huge anti freedom move by the California legislature.  Freedom says that if someone wishes to change an aspect of their life to fit their personal moral code, they have the right to do so.  Whether the government believes that change is possible, or even necessary, should not even be considered.  We as individuals should be able to choose our own path, as long as we are not interfering with the freedom and safety of others.  Whether a person chooses to live as a gay or a straight should not be governed by human laws.   

I'm not perfect.  But I like to sit and ponder situations.  I like movies that present ethical dilemmas.  What would I do if. ...?  I think it is important to think about freedom and how we can better facilitate the freedom of others.  When I feel an injustice against me or someone like me, how can I maintain freedom for all while seeking justice?  I think these are important things to consider as we participate in this race we call human.   

Poverty

My job is to deliver prescriptions to people in a very poor community.  I see the down and out, the sick, the hurting.  I've also spent a total of 20 weeks in villages in Uganda.  A totally different kind of poverty.  This is an issue that touches my heart and I long for answers to solve this problem.  Some people have been born into the poverty and never found a way to climb out.  Some made bad choices and dug themselves into a deep hole, while others had tragic circumstances throw them off the cliff.  So many reasons, so many difficult situations.   

The other day as I was driving I began to dream.  What if I had billions of dollars?  I had this idea to go knock on doors of some of the worst houses I could find in my delivery area.  To pretend I was doing a study on poverty for a college project or something.  Talk to people.  Hear their stories.  Find the people who really want to change their stars.  Then ask them what would change their situation.  Since in my dream I'm a billionaire, I thought it would be so cool to then offer them specific help.  Not free money, but actual help that would change their situation.  Do they need a car and new clothes to go to a job?  Do they need an education?  Do they need basic budgeting skills?  Do they need help to get off of drugs? Do they need better medical care?  Do they need an investor to help them start a business they have dreamed about?  So many thoughts of what might help people.

Then I thought about what is happening currently.  I've been listening to Candace Owens and she says the welfare system is designed to keep people on it.  I don't know how true that is, but it seems plausible.  I hear about people all the time that are truly in need of some assistance and are told they make too much money.  I tried to apply for food stamps once myself and was denied.  I was only working 12 hrs/ week at that point!  That is less than $500/mo take home pay!  I have no idea how that is too much!  No way I could even afford rent on that type of income, let alone food and all the other things necessary for life. From knowing that, I guess if people are on welfare, it makes it hard to get a job because they may lose the assistance and be bringing in even less money.  If you have kids to feed, I get why you wouldn't want to take that risk.  To me that says our system is severely broken.  How can people ever start being productive and taking care of themselves if when they start to, the ladder is pulled out from under them?  Financial assistance is often necessary to become self sufficient.       

I totally get that people need a helping hand sometimes.  I want to see that help actually help.  I want to see a welfare system that is focused on helping people make it on their own.  My idea of doing it on a personal level would be great, but I also know that the cost to have our government agencies do it on that level would be high.  That would take a lot of workers to go in, get personal, and really assess the true needs and solve them.  At least at first.  I would think that after a few years the workload would die down as more and more people get out of the bottom of the hole. 

I also like the idea of work for welfare that has been implemented in a few places.  Those who are able bodied should have to do some work or be enrolled in training for a job in order to get their government assistance.  It gives people a sense of accomplishment and self-worth to earn a living.  Free handouts with no requirements can often create lazy and entitled people that don't benefit society, they only leech.  The hard part is deciding who is able and who is truly not.  Welfare seems depressing and hopeless to me. Some of my clients express that hopelessness every time I talk to them.  Some are sick and unable to work and it's hard for them. Being able to work and earn a living gives people hope. 

I believe that my idea would end up costing less in the long run.  Invest in people short term so they become productive and self-sufficient, or support them their whole lives as they barely have a life to speak of.