Freedom of Speech and Expression - Essay Example

?Anas Musharraf Michael R. H. Swanson CORE 102.19 15 May Quotation G Freedom is a broad term with several meanings. Quotation G dwells on the issue of freedom with a broad perspective focusing on four essentials of freedom, which the world is based upon. I agree with the assertions in the quotation since for a man to survive and lead a comfortable life, the four essentials of freedom must be recognized and appreciated (Samalavic?ius 15). These four essentials include the freedom of speech as well as expression, freedom of worship, freedom from wants or right to a peaceful environment that promotes economic prosperity, and finally the freedom from fear. a) Freedom of speech and expression Freedom of speech is very crucial aspect of human beings. Every human being is entitled to his or mind and opinions (Samalavic?ius 18). This is because human beings vary in the manner and level of thinking, perception and looking at issues affecting them on earth. Due to such variations, people should be allowed to freely express their thoughts, feelings, ideas, and opinions concerning issues of life. Restricting people from expressing their ideas and thoughts is dangerous as it denies them the opportunity to present opinions, feelings, and ideas (Samalavic?ius 18). Some of the issues might be interfering with a person’s life, and thus the need to raise or express his or her dissatisfaction with the issues. In expressing his feelings or opinions on such issues, human beings might generate useful ideas and thoughts that may contribute to improved living standards of all people on earth. This is because there are people with brilliant ideas that when implemented can solve some of the problems, and thus relieve or reduce life stresses (Samalavic?ius 27). Thus, freedom of speech is necessary since it ensures that people have freedom to write their minds, and thereby informing others of their perceptions and feelings towards certain issues of concern. Moreover, lack of freedom of speech hinders people from reading articles or other ideas written by other individuals. This bad since it denies people right to learn from and share ideas with other people. b) Freedom of worship The freedom to worship is very fundamental on earth. This is because people posses divergent views and perceptions concerning their faiths and beliefs about the existence of supernatural powers in the universe (Samalavic?ius 35). This is because human beings come from divergent backgrounds consisting of varied cultures and practices. Thus, recognizing and appreciating these cultural and social differences is crucial for peaceful existence on earth. Every person should be allowed to worship anything he prefers or recognizes as important since it is impossible to tell the reason for choosing the object or the unseen spirit. Consequently, recognition and respect for different religions on earth is vital for promotion of peace, love, and harmony (Samalavic?ius 51). This is because the existence of religious wars such as between Shia and Sunni Muslims, the fighting between Protestants and Catholics in Ireland and England arose due to disregard of other religions on the earth. Moreover, religious conflicts continue to emerge everyday in countries such as Nigeria, Egypt and in Iraq. For instance, in Egypt, the Muslim majority undermines the Copts since they are of Christian faith. Therefore, such freedom should be respected in all places on earth in order to avoid provoking other people and thereby causing tension and hatred. This is to avoid compromising peace and love among people on the earth. c) Freedom from want All human beings need to be financially stable. Being financially stable allows man to lead a good life whereby he can purchase or get anything he needs in order to satisfy his or her want (Samalavic?ius 91). Therefore, economic empowerment of man is essential since it ensures that people lead a comfortable life void of financial strains and stresses. In order to achieve financial stability and economic empowerment, respective governments should support everybody through provision of a favorable economic environment. This can be improved by ensuring that people do not fight over water rights, ownership of minerals or land. The government has to provide adequate water resources to the citizens thus, reducing the incidences of such conflicts thereby ensuring a peaceful environment. Peaceful environment will encourage people to initiate and operate economic activities, which will improve their living standards (Samalavic?ius 91). This is because such economic activities will lead to generation of income, which people can use to purchase various needs and perform any activity they prefer. Thus, freedom from want through economic empowerment is necessary for everyone on earth as it ensures that all human beings get the necessary support in order to become independent, productive, and thus able to lead a comfortable life (Samalavic?ius 91). d) Freedom from fear Every human being recognizes the importance and the need for peace on earth. Thus, fear of war outbreaks should not exist since all human beings are entitled to a peaceful living free from wars and conflicts (Samalavic?ius 85). For instance, war over exploitation and use of natural resources has caused a lot of tension and war in the world. Nigeria has witnessed such wars whereby militants fight with the government over mining and share of the oil resources. Consequently, most societies experience conflicts over exploitation and use of water resources, grazing rights and land and boundary disputes. This calls for a ban on the use of weapons in causing wars and conflicts, which compromise peaceful coexistence among people of different nations. Moreover, aggression of one country against another should be discouraged. This is because it causes tension and interferes with peace on earth (Samalavic?ius 85). In addition, use of dangerous weapons such as nuclear bombs, illegal possession and use of guns to kill innocent citizens such as the US school shooting compromises peace and endangers life (Samalavic?ius 87). Therefore, use of such weapons should be condemned since it causes death, injuries, and increases tension. This is because application of such weapons interferes with the normal and peaceful coexistence of people, and thus reduces productivity and lowers standards of living. Attainment of these kinds of freedom is not a vision to be achieved in the future. The world should achieve them now. This is because an improved living standard is vital for all human beings and achieving it should be the goal of every nation and people. Therefore, any person who does not strive for attainment of a world whereby the four essentials of freedom are recognized and appreciated is an enemy of the people. Such a person should be condemned. Works Cited Samalavic?ius, Almantas. Forms of Freedom: Lithuanian Culture and Europe After 1990. Vilnius: Kultu?ros Barai, 2005. Print. Read More