Oppression has a face of it's own and it is not beautiful, it is instead the look of the thousand mile stare. Whereas freedom has the look of the sun, the moon and all the stars combined, unlimited possibility. Like anything in the world, not appreciating what we have can and will diminish it. Thomas Paine's ("...tis dearness only that gives everything it's value") sums up nicely how we perceive and act on the fundamental rights that have been given to us. Rights are more difficult to maintain at an optimal level since they are not tangible, they are ideas with consequence. So we must always be wary of their being present and appreciate them when looking out beyond ourselves to those who do not have these same rights of ours. It is unfortunate that the world at large is not on par with basic human rights. It is easy to look to other continents and see the past of our own struggles, that were achieved through blood and treasure, still playing out with devastating results. All the more to not only protect our hard fought for rights but to in some way help those other unfortunates achieve their basic human rights as well. There it is in a nutshell, protect our own freedom while helping others achieve theirs. The two are entwined as well. By helping others achieve their freedom we are helping to guarantee our own freedom. There is value in all of us on this planet being free. To live and choose how our lives can best be served within our community of peoples. Not only that but the expressions of living in freedom manifest themselves in ways that bring out our best in our search for happiness. As a species we have a ways to go but the tide or impetus of our movement is in the direction of freedom for all and the beauty it will reflect.
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