Reply #54: Justice, Freedom, Oppression (In this order) [View All]

[Festivito]

I like our Constitution. The first thing it explicitly establishes is Justice. It goes on to give explicit freedoms. Free speech for example, in its effect, says people have the right to speak. May I add: even if the speech is oppressive.

I feel sorry for you that you feel oppressed by hearing another person speak a prayer. I just listen, or join, or contemplate my to-do list and feel no outstanding emotion. I guess you do. A bad emotion. But, I like our Constitution, as I said.

In fact, I revel living in a country where someone can so freely practise their religion, and where I am protected from them killing me or jailing me because of beliefs we do not share.

This freedom, if reliable, leads to a respectful wall of separation. Built by the feeling of freedom, consisting of respect, and as strong as freedom's reliability lets it become. Really a space, where no one needs to cross.

Perhaps some day a gay president will publicly thank his lover, alienating those who do not have a good spousal relationship. Perhaps a black man will express his pride in his roots, bringing a sad feeling to someone who does not know their parentage. And, perhaps a religious zealot president will say nothing about his religion in a speech and not pray or practise his religion in any seeable hearable palpable way, embarrassing listening atheists who would find it a mistaken revelation of their beliefs that this guy's actions might end up mistakenly reflecting on them.

Let us go form a more perfect union.