Freedom. Immigrants from all over the world have been coming to America for decades in search of freedom. African Americans fought for equal amounts of freedom even after they got here on the slave ships. And now in 2005 for all intents and purposes we have what so many fought for and died for. Freedom.
My 15 year old nephew whom I have talked about before on this blog has been incarcerated. He was given 6-10 months in a juvenile detention center. No more freedom.
He was born in the nineties where a phrase that had always been around got even more popular. "I can do whatever I want to do." When I or anybody else would try to talk to my nephew this was a phrase he used quite a bit. He could do whatever he felt like doing. Hmmmm...freedom.
In the time of slavery they used chains to hold us down. In the early 20th century it was segregation. But just like everything else that evolves and gets more complex over time the way in which minorities are being held down is...you guessed it...freedom.
I know that this sounds odd and maybe I'm reaching a little but freedom is really nothing more than an idea. And what we consider freedom isn't always a good thing. Any good psychiatrist will tell you that children and adults alike crave structure and guidance. Slavery no. Structure yes.
It is this King's opinion that just because we can do something doesn't mean we should do it. We must add that little nugget into the "you can do whatever you want to do when you grow up speech". No we must not let our freedom become our bondage.
As I think about my nephew a 6'4, chiseled, and handsome young man sitting in a cell when he should be preparing to get his driver's license and getting excited about the upcoming Christmas break from school it hurts me. He is a PRINCE and he doesn't even realize it. Instead he sits there daydreaming about having freedom once again and thinking to himself that as soon as he gets out, he, again will be able to do whatever he wants to do. Ahh freedom. He could fall into a trap like so many youth who are caught in a constant cycle of having freedoms that they don't need nor have the skills to deal with and who end up getting into trouble and end up locked up and repeating the process over and over.
Yes freedom is an idea. Bondage too is really only an idea. If you take away bondage then what does freedom really mean? Free your minds.
8 comments:
Yeah, I am sorry here to hear about your nephew too.
This post was very thought provoking...are any of us free? Will we ever be free? None of us will ever be able to just do what we want when we want.
And the church said Amen to sister preacher Goddess.
D-dot you're on point as usual. Sorry to hear about your nephew.
How in the name of Donnie Simpson did these lil ones start believing that they're invincible?
Being locked up is almost like a badge of honor for most of these kids.
Your nephew has a great Uncle/Role Model in you so stay on him! I will keep him and all these misguided warriors in my thoughts.
That is awful. I do hope he learns from his mistakes. My cousin was a young man that kept going back jail over and over again. Now they are considering keeping him there for life as a repeated felon.
Mwabi...you are on a comedic role today :)
We were talking about this at work yesterday - not about ddot's nephew, but about the criminal system (not the main point of the post, I know). Someone said that they were glad Tookie was killed because it deters crime.
I am against all capital punishment, but I said I thought that our judicial system sort of encouraged crime. You do something bad, you get a slap on the wrist. You do it again, and a little more punishment. It is sort of like trying to get in a hot bath. You ease into it.
Sorry, ddot, about your nephew.
And I was reading about freedom today, from a book written more than 1,500 years ago. But they thought suicide was freedom. Strange group of philosophers.
in all the discussion about freedom, rarely is there discussion about how to educate folk so that they're equipt to make the choices that won't negatively affect their freedom in the future. hopefully that'll be something our generation can address with our own children.
great post, king.
interesting...i'll have to speak on it later...gotta work
"children and adults alike crave structure and guidance. Slavery no. Structure yes."
I respect your opinion on the that because most individuals need some system of order to survive. The rules may suck but you have to be able to govern your life in a manner that helps you live up to your potential instead of abusing it. My folks used to say its the difference between "rights" and "privelages."
Beautiful, Ddot. Well said, man.
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