Four Freedoms for All - Essay Example

?Four Freedoms for all America has often been referred to as a land of immigrants. These men and women irrespective of color or creed, language or religion, flocked to her shores to escape the misery and despair in their own lands and to avail of the opportunities that America offered. The statue of Liberty that epitomizes the freedoms that these immigrants came in search of, stood as a beacon of hope to the hordes of immigrants who saw for themselves a future without fear of persecution; and a life of liberty to live their lives as they desired, in an atmosphere conducive to good health and happiness. Roosevelt’s four freedoms encapsulated the reason for which the oppressed multitudes of the world thronged to America’s shores. The first freedom, that of speech is the hallmark of a democratic society where people are free to express their opinions on a variety of subjects. Speech differentiates man from any other form of life and allows humans to communicate, and through this communication to explore and create in fields as diverse as music or art, science or medicine. This freedom of speech and expression is not just a basic right, but also a means to impart ideas that contribute to man’s ever increasing knowledge as well as his growth, happiness and well being. The curtailment of this freedom can subdue man for a while but in the end when he sees others enjoying it, revolt is inevitable. In today’s world of speedy communication this phenomenon is being increasingly seen in the overthrow of dictatorships around the world. In democratic societies, it is the tool used to keep a watch on the activities of those in power, because unbridled power can lead to corruption. This freedom in the hands of the media is a powerful tool to place facts before the people so they are in a position to make informed choices while choosing their leaders. However every right comes with a responsibility and freedom of speech does not mean maligning others or their way of life and customs or traditions. A responsible way to use freedom of speech is to respect the rights and freedoms of others. The second freedom is man’s freedom to worship the god or gods of his choice and in a way he feels fit for his own peace of mind. Today religious intolerance is what is leading to many of the world’s problems. It is important to note that a man’s religion or religious beliefs are his personal choice hence it is important for each one of us to have the freedom to choose whom we worship and how we do it. Ultimately all religions preach the same things and they really are the same except for the names that they go by, which again are given to them by man. Religion and religious beliefs have always been the source of conflict since the time man began to worship nature and the elements. Every religion has gone through phases when people were killed and tortured in the name of religion. Most religious leaders are under the impression that the greater the numbers of their followers, the better their religion or the stronger their faith, little realizing that no religious body teaches its followers to kill or steal or lie. Despite this underlying truth that is self evident, religious persecutions have dogged mankind from time immemorial and persist even to this day. International bodies can pass resolutions and nation states can pass laws, but ultimately unless man is willing to admit that religion is a personal choice and cannot be forced on another through fear, real freedom of worship cannot be attained. The third freedom, that of freedom from want is the vast imbalance between the haves and the have nots. There are some countries in our world where poverty is rampant. The people do not have the basic necessities of two square meals a day or a roof over their heads. Here malnourished mothers give birth to underweight babies who do not have a chance to grow into healthy children or adults. Infant mortality rates are high, and those babies who do survive, fall prey to diseases that are spread due to the unhygienic conditions in which they live. This freedom is of greatest importance, where every life is precious and must be given the chance to bloom into healthy childhood and adulthood. The inequality in the incomes of those living in the developed countries and those living in underdeveloped ones is vast. This is especially true of those living in Asia and Africa. Of late however, some of these countries have recovered to some extent showing better living standards for their people and increase in life expectancy. Besides poverty being a curse in itself, living in poverty is a vicious circle where poverty leads to malnourishment and disease, which in turn leads to unemployment and low incomes resulting in despair and pain and a helplessness which pushes humans to the brink of lawlessness. The fourth freedom is freedom from fear. At the time Roosevelt articulated these freedoms, the world was on the brink of war and he referred to the need for disarmament where no nation would have the military might to make war on another or try to conquer it. However the war that followed soon after was against just such an aggressor, who sought to conquer territories to add to his own, and to annihilate peoples whom he considered inferior to his own race. The wars and tensions among the nations of the world today are a sad commentary on our inability to prevent wars, and the human frailty of greed that is at the root of such conflicts. The human inability to share resources and live in peace and harmony will probably be our undoing. Roosevelt articulated these freedoms and they are the basis for a society that can thrive if they are followed by all. However, can these be guaranteed to all the peoples of our world? It would indeed be a utopia worth living in if all the people everywhere can avail of these freedoms. I agree that these freedoms are necessary to the happiness and well being of all people everywhere. Yet even in the most developed of nations do all these freedoms really exist? In many democracies, freedom of speech and expression as well as freedom of worship do exist to a very great extent, but freedom from want and freedom from fear are as much a feature of democracies as they are of dictatorships. Is any place absolutely safe for anyone? In today’s world, despite speedy communications turning the world into a global village, we are seeing a resurgence of an attitude of intolerance towards those who are considered outsiders either due to color or religious affinities or customs. Where is the brotherhood that most religions preach, and how do we bring a feeling of oneness into our communities? Roosevelt in his wisdom and compassion laid out guidelines to make our world a better, healthier, safer and happier place to live in. Yet how far have we succeeded in implementing his ideas of freedom? However, there is hope still. The Arab Spring revolutions show that people in nations that have dictatorships can rise up to demand their rights and the electronic media is a great help in such cases where pleas of assistance can be accessed across continents. Here was a revolution fought for freedom of speech and expression, succeeding in overthrowing despotic rule, and it was backed by people all over the world. Freedom from want is one that must be addressed on a war footing. Although one sees heart rending pictures of infants and children dying of hunger and disease, in many countries of the world, it is still an uphill task to feed and clothe these. Although humanitarian agencies and compassionate donors are doing a lot of good work, a lot still remains to be done. Where freedom of worship does not exist, there is also fear and violence. Extremist ideologies are still at work in many parts of the world and there is a lot being done to counter them. Yet only when all of us can believe like Mahatma Gandhi that “the essence of all religions is one, only their approaches are different”, (Gandhi, brainyquote.com) will progress be made among those who profess to fight and kill in the name of religion. Roosevelt’s four freedoms are guidelines to better our world and free it from evils like fear, poverty and want. The moot question is will there ever be a world like the one he envisaged and if so how long will we take to get there? Works Cited Gandhi.M.K. brainyquote.com web May 10 2013 Read More