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The Liberty Bell chimes echo throughout history: resounding, fading, whispering; its noise can still be noticed today. Although timid, the enduring struggle for freedom and human rights remains constant in our ephemeral modernity. However, will we survive its cracks? Who are those protecting the eyes of the sleepy?

We are trading off gold for dust: values, principles, and truths that led us where we are - conquering for us the freedom that cost the blood of our heroes. They are dying away... And yet we sleep... We sleep as if there were no tomorrow. We sleep as if everything is secure. We sleep as if nothing could be stolen from us today. We sleep with our eyes protected by the delusion created by those who believe to be the chosen, the precious - those who believe in having the power to control the entire humanity.

All around the world, we see the struggles for freedom secured by our ancestors. With a great sense of reality, our past heroes set the principles, examples, and values that sustain our liberty. The liberty throughout all the land (inscribed in the Liberty Bell today), the liberation of South American colonies, and the Carta Magna in Europe (establishing the principles of limited government and individual rights) are examples of what was already conquered. More recently, the Nuremberg laws - created after the Second World War - sought to protect autonomy, consent, dignity, and respect for individual rights and freedoms in healthcare and medical research. We can say our achievements are many.

However, we devalue the fight of our fathers for freedom when we forget we should be the main vigilantes of its foundation. We are not safe. The observance of liberty and its values should be constant. But the foolish slumber of convenience keeps many eyes closed. People are relying on leaders whose interests are not the same as ours. Many in our society are trusting lies and surrendering their dignity. Many of us are denying the reality that surrounds us. Fundamental rights and concepts that brought us where we are are being changed to whatever is convenient at an exact moment.

Freedom and democracy have never been so mentioned nowadays. However, aren't those words being misused? As a society, the memory of our achievements is constantly mentioned. People know their past and history. They praise it. They talk to friends about their country's glorious triumphs. TV news frequently displays events from history, as if some of those thunderous actions from the past could never be repeated today in our modern civilization.

Notwithstanding, we overlook almost every current threat to our freedom. We allow it to be taken step by step away from us. As a frog immersed in a cooking pan, slowly heating up to death, we notice the danger - if we ever do - only when it is too late. Therefore, we allow terrible events from history to come to rhyme. And we believe, or just pretend, that everything is just fine.

Our society is being manipulated. Whether real or perceived, heightened security concerns have created an environment where individuals prioritize safety over freedom - leading to a willingness to accept or overlook certain restrictions in the name of security. Most of today's threats to our liberty would already move our ancestors into action, but we don't see the dangers as they would.

Various factors, such as media distractions, societal issues, or personal concerns, are diverting attention away from the erosion of freedom. When people are preoccupied with other aspects of their lives or different social, ideological, and political issues, they may be less likely to focus on the gradual loss of their civil rights. The problem is that our current safety status is not secure. We feel safe, but do today's leaders and the media have our genuine interests in mind? We are giving up our freedom for control. “We let their words corrupt our thoughts, and their thoughts corrupt our words” ².

The same ghosts from the past are haunting our children, but it is much easier to convince ourselves that they do not exist. We are justifying censorship. We are silencing minds if they do not act according to what is expected. We are violating bodies through political laws because we decided to be afraid. Therefore, we allow governmental power to grow over us and denounce our neighbor if he/she does not follow the masses - blindly led by interests they can't even imagine. Weeds are being irrigated while we kill flowers.

These are dark days. And we believe we can be whatever we desire. Truth became relative, and each of us holds our own, which cannot be questioned. Honor is following the first interest that arises. Moreover, we believe we are powerful if we question our biological nature. Disdain and hatred became empathy. The intolerant rate the meaning of tolerance. The good examples from our past are being twisted. The foundations hardly built by our heroes are being questioned. We chose to underestimate centuries of human wisdom to follow our modern misconceptions. We no longer trust the work of our ancestors, even though their wisdom was why we managed to keep our Pandora's box closed. We are questioning the same truth and values our fathers used to win us our liberty. But do we even know who we trust to judge what is right or wrong today? Who holds the truth in such a selfish and relative world?

We have our natural, physical, and mental limitations. That is simple biology. The identity of many people collapses when reality imposes itself. We cannot be anything we want. We need to see and accept reality as it is. The most powerful and emotionally stable people are those who move forward knowing their limits and are aware of who they are. They do not seek excuses. Even when facing unrighteousness, they assume the responsibility for their lives. They are active in the world, not victims. In addition, if empathy is anywhere to be found today, those are the people you usually could get it from.

We cannot change nature. And there must be something bigger than we are to determine the difference between good and evil, healthy and unhealthy, beautiful and ugly - no matter how much we want to push or believe the opposite. Truth is there, and it is not for us to determine about it. The opposite of truth and organization is chaos and lies. In chaos, we are like scattered sheep, and we may not even see we have a war to fight for. We cannot recognize our enemies in turmoil. We become easily manipulated, and our freedom is at risk.

Our liberty is being attacked from different sides by different adorned agendas. The speech against freedom looks nice at first. Dialogue is no longer allowed, and we hate whoever thinks differently. We are being divided so we can be conquered.

A small group of people seeks to control the entire humanity. Although our goals are not theirs, we give up our reflection and reason so they can control us. It is much easier to follow the masses, surrendering our responsibilities, duties, and respect we should show to ourselves, our families, and our communities. We don't want to find out the truth. We don't want to be responsible for our actions and who we are.

Big brother can watch over us ². Most of us are afraid to look deeper inside our desires and motivations. Therefore, it is even harder to recognize the reality that surrounds us. It is much easier to follow rules we did not create and the path we did not trace. They are already there for us.

Freedom and civil rights have eroded slowly over time, often through incremental changes of thought and through policies justified by security concerns or societal shifts. Perceived stability or relative comfort in one's immediate environment contributes to complacency. When individuals feel that their everyday lives are not directly affected by restrictions or violations of rights, they may be less inclined to question or challenge the status quo. If this is what was told us to be the path of safety and order, so be it: “Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength" ².

Overcoming complacency requires a deep sense of our reality and about who we are. It requires us to sustain principles and values, to understand our limits and capacities, as well as to accept them. Just then, we can start raising awareness, fostering critical thinking, and encouraging active engagement in defending and preserving our freedoms. “When injustice becomes law, resistance should be a duty” ¹ .

Ancient principles and values that make us human should be the light under our feet to guide us. Nature itself dictates its rules, forged in the fabric of the universe since the world's creation. The pillars of freedom were well-defined in the past. Whenever the world became insane, leaders would raise the call for freedom. However, where are our foundations? And where are our heroes today?

The destruction of the past puts our references at risk, potentially leading to a loss of our foundations. We become vulnerable when everything we know about our society and ourselves is suddenly no more. “The past was erased, and whatever was used to be is no more. The erasure will sooner be forgotten, and the lie will become true” ².

The liberty bells urge with its dissonance chimes. Suffocated by some of the most filth interests, its music slowly disappears. Can we save humanity from an unbearable destiny? The sound of freedom must come back to where it belongs. Hopefully, step by step, its harmony and melody will gently retune.

Reference:

¹ Thomas Jefferson

² Reference to 1984 - George Orwell

Essay on Freedom

Daily Dictionary

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