Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
I think most of us have romantic notions about our love of freedom and its importance to us, what we would do to defend it and that sort of thing. What we don't seem to be so fond of is accepting the responsibility that comes with freedom. What I mean is, that if we use our freedom to do things that "feel good"; even though they may be morally or ethically wrong, we need to face the reality that there will, at some time in the future, be a price to pay.
If you eat McDonalds three times a day, seven days a week and you wind up fat or suffering from heart disease, it is not McDonald’s responsibility.
We love to play the blame game these days. I think the tag line for our society should be “It’s not my fault.”
The problem is this: when we refuse to accept responsibility for the choices freedom allows, we set in motion a process that leads to the loss of those freedoms.
Look at smoking as an example, how long do we have before it will be illegal to buy cigarettes in Canada? Or maybe they will sell them but you will have to smoke them in a bullet proof shed at least two miles from any other living thing. I may not be a smoker but their plight perfectly illustrates my point.
- I got lung cancer
- It is not my fault
- Give me some money to make me feel better
- Take away the freedom of others to keep it from happening again.
It is a slippery slope and it is evident all over our society. We are ready and willing to give up freedom at the first sign of danger. Lock up the guns, close down the purveyors of fat, arrest the cartoonists, silence the talk show hosts, ban the books and quick - dress the women in sleeping bags. After all, if I have an evil thought it must be that wicked seductresses fault, not my own, I mean how can I be held responsible for the thoughts I allow myself to think?
Say good bye to freedom and welcome to 1984.
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