Øyvind Gregersen
The mighty warrior of freedom had grown weary
Her values trampled upon
Pieces of her principles pulled away
Her mirror image tarnished by corporate forces
Waving their claim as ‘people too’
as an excuse to influence the laws of the land
Rights to vote
Rights to assemble
Rights to privacy
Rights of access narrowed
under the guise of false frauds, false gods and false enemies
Created through the soft wars on color, orientation and women and the poor
Leaving us all with the question: What does freedom mean to you?
Ms. Kellie Elmore gave us quite the provocative image prompt this week:
Use the image at the following link as your inspiration. I can’t wait to read the responses to this one! http://1x.com/photo/45546/
Well, I never like to get too opinionated about issues given that we lack a civil discourse these days. I am a woman of strong convictions based on my life experiences. Five decades worth certainly means something! But my beliefs are mine and I do not expect to share the same ones or to convince others that I am right. Actually, the image reminded me of a book I once read that has stayed with me for a long time. Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” was written in 1985 and I read it shortly after it was published. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Handmaid%27s_Tale). I highly recommend it.
Building A Life Of Hope 
Excellent and sadly so very true, we have sold our souls, or should I say had them taken from us.
Yes. I find it difficult to put into the right words the exact emotions I feel about the changes in the last 30 years. Thank you for reading and thank more for your thoughts! 🙂
Brilliant work and thoughts that need to spoken. I was going to say that no one can control our ability to think for ourselves then I realised that they can – by controlling what we see and read. When I was in Turkey I met an American woman who told she had discovered Al Jazeera News there and learned about the American army practice of waterboarding (this was in 2012!) She was going home to tell all her friends to seek out alternate news sources.
I read your comments to my youngest son (he’s 21) as we were just having a conversation about the topics of news and politics and who controls whom. Such a different world now in many respects and not necessarily for the better. This is makes me sad as I am an optimist by nature!
Heavy stuff, but it needs to be said. The dumbing down of our society, along with its myriad distractions, has put us all (in Canada too) in a position where being able to think mindfully for ourselves, and being able to express our thoughts without being censored (political correctness is a form of censorship) is almost impossible. … And that’s all I have to say about that. … Excellent work on your part. You’ve provoked discussion. 🙂
I think you brought up a good point; thinking mindfully is a scarce practice these days.Rather than being thoughtfully responsive, we are now viscerally reactive or mute for fear of censorship or of being offensive. It never ceases to amaze me that lunchtime discussions at work center around episodes of ‘The Voice’ or ‘American Idol’ instead of some things more meaningful or at least humorous! Thank you for sharing your insights. 🙂
Maybe lunchtime discussions are centered around the mundane because the political front is to volatile and depressing. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t seems to have been our motto for a very long time. It wears on one. To disappear into the mundane is to be able to breathe without fear of retribution. The 24 hour news where they harp and nag on the small making it so very large, stirring up hatred and angst where there really should be cool minds so we can get through some of this…..mess we are in without bloodshed of one kind or another, Like I said, escaping into something like who is your favorite on American Idol is a nice respite from trying to weed out all the lies and twisted to one side or the other reports that bombard us everyday.
I appreciate your point of view! That 24 hour news cycle is useless for the reasons you state. Quality and depth is what counts and we are lacking both I’m afraid. I certainly don’t expect to engage in heavy discussions on a daily basis-that would be draining! Perhaps this comes from a place where I have also noticed some small-mindedness or a lack of being truly informed among people. It’s hard to find the balance today that’s for sure! I really appreciate your thoughtful comment, Heidi. 🙂
Powerful words to go with the image!
Where do you go to get “real” news? Most newscasts are now rebroadcasts of youtube videos and encourage watchers to submit selfies! Even more than ever, news is biased/slanted to suit a particular worldview.
Social media is powerful — it can be used for good or for evil. It is up to us to ensure it’s used for good. How can we even have a discussion when we never make eye contact anymore? I’ve seen groups of people sitting together all looking down at their smart phones, scrolling every few seconds.
Politics has become so polarized that I’m not sure a real discussion about the issues that matter is possible. Just look at government!
Oops, I feel one of my rants coming on. You have written words that stir up emotions — and isn’t that what writing is all about.
Thank you for your comments! I am glad you feel stirred up! You echo many of my viewpoints. I miss the analytical features of broadcast news. Now many stations and newspapers are owned by corporations with no interest or background in actual journalism. I do not watch TV news for that reason (plus the endless commercials!). I mostly listen to National Public Radio and the BBC (when I can) and read some news on line from the NY Times and other sources. But even with all of that, I am not sure how fully informed I am!
We listen to NPR while making supper, and watch the BBC news. I watch the local news for the weather forecast.
Lately, we have also been watching a Japanese news program (in English). I haven’t watched yet, but Al Jazeera has a news channel aimed at American audiences.
The CBC in Canada used to be a good source for news; the overnight programing is interesting. From rebroadcasts of Australian Public Radio programs, I learned a lot about the Pacific/Asia countries.
We used to read the NY Times, but haven’t been getting it of late. Creating dialogues rather than diatribes would be wonderful!
Let’s keep hoping things will change! 🙂
Like you, I hope things do change. I try and remain optimistic . . .
Great words that speak of so many of todays failings, but hope too! Liz
Thank you! Yes, we can always have hope!
aloha BuildingALifeOfHope. you evoke an initial response to this image well. i like that you have explored that. it is difficult to face, altho i think a good thing to keep in mind and be aware of every day. aloha.
Thank you. I appreciate your thoughts.I try to live mindfully and keenly aware while holding onto the idea that we all can be more balanced and responsive and responsible people.