This week's prompt reminds me of a statement Idi Amin of Uganda made while he was president, he said:
There is freedom of speech, but I cannot guarantee freedom after speech.
Indirectly he was saying, choose between your privacy and freedom of speech. However, each had their advantages and disadvantages, so one had to weigh between the options and choose which meant the most for him. Personally, I like my privacy. I believe being out of the circle of focus or spotlight gives me the peace that I desire but when the matter of a country is concerned, I'll choose freedom of speech.
"Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech." ―Silence Dogood, likely pseudonym of Benjamin Franklin
This quote by silence Dogood is the entirety of my message. The only power a nation has for change is the freedom of speech. It doesn't matter how many individuals are imprisoned or killed after a speech, but once a word is spoken, it stays alive for a very long time if not for a lifetime. freedom of speech stimulates to tell a person, the government , etc. That they're wrong, and this puts anyone in check for their action instead of free men walking the street believing their actions are right.
Impact of freedom of speech on me
If I choose my privacy over freedom of speech. It directly means I'm comfortable with whatever decision the government makes and the only power we have as individuals is our freedom of speech. To me there is nothing more important in a democracy than freedom of speech. Free speech and debate is what makes up a true democracy, let's debate everything until the best solution is found. No free speech means we're caged under one's perspective and ideology about leadership and this doesn't foster growth in a country. What use is privacy without the freedom of speech? We'll only be molded into the culture of a modern slave.
Why Free Speech
Free Speech is true democracy, free Speech is power, free speech is freedom, free speech is the essence of humanity. Once an individual is deprived of free speech, he lives as a coward and a slave his entire life, settling for less and smiling even when he bleeds. A country where individuals cannot speak out is a country doomed to fail and a country filled with unhappy people who though have their privacy, but are denied the luxury to give them a good living.
So why free speech when privacy is important to me?, so why free speech when I can resolve to settle for peace and not be bothered with threat of death and imprisonment?, It would be because, a glamouring future cannot be birth in an environment where people settle for less, and the future of hope would be lost if all that glitters is the peace that individual enjoys. I'll leave this with a quote I once heard ..
"There is no freedom without war, and freedom is birth under the blood of many who sacrificed their lives". If we want true freedom, we'll need to first have a Freedom of Speech.
