Skip to main content

Piece #96 - Freedom

Since the main holiday in July is our (USA) Independence Day, this got me thinking about why this is celebrated and are we really honoring what the holiday is supposed to mean? If you ask most people about July 4th, I'm sure most people will say that we're celebrating our freedom here in America, but I honestly tend to question the idea that America is actually 'free'. In the Avenger's movie, Loki describes freedom as "...life's great lie." where he believed that we (Americans) really didn't understand what freedom was supposed to be; to him "we were made to be ruled." If we are 'ruled' properly then we are 'free'. I know that sounds a bit twisted but remember this did come from Loki the god of mischief. Honestly, I've questioned a lot about my self-discovery of Asperger's was freeing for me.

 I think finally getting an answer to what I'd questioned for many years from my childhood to adulthood is freeing in away that now I know what was going on. The only down side is that when people find out that I have Asperger's, I suddenly lose the freedom I had as a 'normal' person and consequently I'm filed under the 'broken' or 'disabled' category. The idea of freedom seemed to change from one aspect to another when I was diagnosed. Being autistic is tough because 'normal' people feel safer if our rights are very limited so we wouldn't be able to join the regular status of society. So how is this free?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines freedom as: "the quality or state of being free: as the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action". I find this term rather interesting because it's calling for an 'absence of necessity, coercion or constraint'; so with that in mind I can't help but look at my own country and wonder how free are we? Or...how free do you want to be? We have rules, guidelines, morals that help shape our view of things that are right and wrong. The quandary is clashing of freedoms; for example, people have the right to fly a confederate flag, but many others find this offensive and think the flag should be banned. Who's right? Who's freedom is lost? This is just a very small sample of the complexities of freedom and where one's freedom can get in the way of another.    

I realize this is quite a debatable topic because of the interior details that can redefine what freedom is. I know that freedom for some countries is different than others. Some actually have more freedom than we here in the United States. In the bigger picture, we need to realize that yes we have free-will to decide what we want or what we believe, but what if we were all slaves to something that we hear about all the time and we know what it is; but we do nothing to fix it the source would be...sin. We might be free, but we are still locked up in sin. "Life's great lie..." or is it? Jesus is real freedom. Without Christ, we will also be prisoners. If you believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord then you 'shall be set free'! I realize that might be a big step and others might be thinking that this whole Jesus thing is dumb, but at least you have the free-will to make that decision all on your own and no one can take that away!


Song of Inspiration [Check it out on iTunes or Android!]:

Song: "God Bless America"

Composer: Irving Berlin

Artist: Sandi Patty

Album: Hymns of Faith - Songs of Inspiration

Here is the video lyrics to the selected song:






Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Piece #75 - My Directing Method

Being a director like I have for several years, there are things that I've had to deal with in this business. This isn't the professional method of directing, but this is my perspective on how to be a director in any medium. I will probably address the proper method of how to treat actors, but that is not the sole focus on what I'm going to share. As a director you will have to deal with people who think they know it all and you can't say anything that will benefit me. The problem that most amateur actors forget is that acting is an art form, but it's also an occupation. I think people tend to forget that acting is work...hard work. One of the things that I try to let the kids know is that it's a very difficult business to get into. I feel like they need to hear the truth about the world of entertainment. I tell them that they have to 'want' it very badly and do almost anything to get in. An internship is a great way to get your foot in the door, bu
Post a Comment
Read more

Piece #103 - I.Q.

I have, in some form or fashion, addressed this topic on intelligence, but I thought I'd hit this head on. One of the big things that people with Asperger's gets tied with is having a high intelligence. I have to admit that I've had a hard time finding solid evidence on all people with Asperger's having a high intelligence. I guess this a bit of a piggy back to my earlier posting #78 No Talent Required. The difference between these two is I'm going to address the intelligence in general versus the talents from Asperger's (or Savants).  When it comes to the topic of intelligence, I get a similar feeling like in high school when the class decides on 'the most successful' label. I say this because I've always questioned what is successful? In turn I would also ask in the same breath what is intelligent? Testing the intelligence of someone used to seem like either a brainiac, just an average person or an idiot...depending on the score which is reall
Post a Comment
Read more

Piece #28 - Puzzles

I realize autism is symbolized by a puzzles piece and I've noticed that some people have taken some offense to that, but this doesn't deal directly with that topic. This is a straight observation on puzzles and how they affect me and the twins. With the new age of electronic devices, it has changed to way we do pretty much everything! In this case I want to focus on puzzles because there are lots of computer game companies that are betting on us to buy their own special puzzle game, whether it is on the iPad, iTouch or smart phone. I will say that I do own an iTouch and yes, I do love it! Unfortunately, I can get sucked into several good puzzle games. So far the top ones I love to play are Chuzzle, Bejeweled, Tiki Totems and of course...Angry Birds. To be honest, I also will go 'old school' and play Solitaire, Mahjong, Sudoku and even Tetris because they still have a place in my heart. Sometimes the simpler games I would rather play because they are quick and easier
5 comments
Read more