karimisms

Free until it hurts

We could come up with many reasons tom be thankful this upcoming “American” holiday, although, one previlage rises above all others.

We could be thankful for our family and friends, who take us as we are, and who love us despite our shortcomings.

We could be thankful for the fact that we have many of the things that many countries do not:

Education, as lagging as that one is behind countries in the far east like Japan, China, and India; we still have an education system free to the public. One that does a fair job in preparing our youth for tomorrow. We should definitely be thankful for some of our most dedicated teachers who day in and day out instill great virtues in our children with very little pay and very little reward.

Health care: Yes…. there are many problems with this one. But did you know that many countries do not even know of the concept? I grew up in Syria, and we are just now recognizing that this is a service, which should be provided. Yes…we can do a better job making health care available for everyone, but the fact it is available for many cannot be denied.

Economy: This one goes up and down, and people lose their jobs during the rough times. But we also revel in booms for years. And the long-term outlook for the economy of this country is an upward line despite some dips and corrections. If we work hard, we are rewarded fairly. As simple as that may seem, it is not the case in many places on this earth.

We should be thankful for those privileges, and yes they are privileges not to be taken for granted. But we should be extremely thankful for one privilege this country offers to all of its citizens regardless of color, race, economic status, education, or any other measure of existence:

Freedom.

People who live here as well as abroad can criticize America for many of its policies. Iraq has not been the success it was hoped to be. The country is divided on whether it was a noble cause or a quagmire of death and destruction. Whichever side of the fence you are one, the fact remains that those 18 and 29 year olds on the front lines have the belief that they are granting someone else what they have in abundance. Never mind the motives of the government and how much we can argue the oil issue and the weapons of mass destruction issue, somewhere in the middle of the chaos, an Iraqi citizen today was able to say something he would have been arrested for uttering before.

Syria is considered to be a free country. Despite the partial freedom we had, there were things you just did not say and do. Things are much better now, and we have people expressing their opinion freely most of the time, but under supervision and with a certain liability attached. Many countries around the world suffer from this partial freedom syndrome. America does not. We do have plenty of ills in this society with heroes working daily to correct them. But we do have freedom, and for that; we should be thankful.

We revel in what I call: Free until it hurts freedom.

In the year 2000, I photographed a rally on the steps on the Jefferson County Court House steps. The people assembled to voice their opinion were heavily guarded by Birmingham city police. There were fences erected to keep outsiders from getting too close and disrupting the rally. Police lined up with gas masks and guns ready to protect and serve. The group protesting on the Court House steps was not preaching progressive ideas. They were not shouting great mantras or uplifting messages. They were cursing a certain race out.

They were the KKK.

But as a country which honors freedom of expression, we not only allowed this action, but we protected. I watched that day with my skin crawling from the hatred they were spewing out. I wanted them to disappear into their own absurdity. But part of me rejoiced in the fact that anyone with any message can be heard. I wanted to climb the fence and take them out myself, but I would have been arrested. It is not the virtue you are instilling that matters, it is the action of expression.

In America, we are free…free until it hurts. That day hurt many people from many races around this city. But not to notice the freedom umbrella hovering would be foolish.

We have two parties in our government, which criticize and attack each other daily. They have the freedom to express their opinion no matter what. If a congressman disagrees with the president, he can just do that. He can even tell everyone. In some countries that can be the last action he takes.

Pakistan is a timely example where the leader can just stop the flow of freedom and declare marshal law. What he is unaware of is that the freedom he is holding tight in his fist could be the reason for his fall in the near future.

Democracy is much stronger than the will to contain humanity. Democracy is innate, and many will struggle and lose their lives to achieve it. We should never forget, and we should say thank you every day because we have it.

We should let our children know they have it, and that others don’t. We should teach them what freedom is, and what not having it can lead to. We should open their minds to those concepts, which many young ones do not even recognize. We should take them with us when we vote, and put the “I voted” sticker on their shirt. We should never let them take for granted what some people give up their lives to acquire.

This upcoming “American” holiday is one of my favorites because it reminds me of what I have here…freedom until it hurts.