Misperceived Freedom

Originally posted on May 4, 2020 on medium.com/@shamandao

The American Way

Photo by Luke Stackpoole on Unsplash

Can you personally remember a time when multiple people would stand up on a bus or train to allow an elderly person to sit down? Not just a one-off, but a continual occurrence? Or a time when you didn’t have to worry about your child being followed or kidnapped on their way home to school? Do you remember a time when someone wanted to help you without an ulterior motive? Can you think back on a time when you didn’t have to worry about wearing gloves because someone licked the handle of the cart or door?

Or maybe the time when kids listened to their teachers and elders instead of disrespecting them by yelling back or even fighting back? Consideration, kindness, respect, and understanding, those were the days weren’t they?

There are pockets in America where values are respected along with the rules, but for the majority? A bunch of entitled, spoiled, privileged whiners who have no clue what real poverty is or what the lack of freedom means.

Do you have clean water? A home that is larger than 500sq ft? Maybe even a yard to play in or just maybe, a passport that allows you to leave your country at any given time without the need to apply for a goddamn visa to the country you want to go to? Can you pick and choose a religion to practice freely? Yes? You can? Then you are freer than most countries that are severely suppressed.

To have an American passport is like having the golden ticket in Monopoly. As an American living abroad and who travels often, I can pass GO whenever I feel like it without even a second to be questioned while other passports are stopped immediately to be searched.

Wait, some of you may be thinking, you need to apply for a visa to travel to other countries? Yes. Because there are many countries around the world where you need to first: fill out an application, give them all the paperwork, pay for the visa, and pray and hope you can get approved. Can you imagine if Americans had this type of process? “We’re Americans! This is America!” They would shout. I mean, aren’t most protestors saying this now?

There are women around the world fighting to show their hair in public. Women fighting to wear makeup in public. Fighting to finally get a job where the men in charge don’t demand they sleep with them or else. There are men and women around the world wishing they could come to America, the land of the free and the brave. And then there’s the Americans protesting to open back up the beaches.

“They’re taking away our freedom!!!” as they cry over haircuts and temporarily closed beaches and restaurants and nail salons.

For shame, really.

“It’s all fake!” They cry. The plandemic is planned by the masterminds behind the scenes. But plandemic aside, I’m talking about human nature.

All this, and still, how broken is our system? Where is the uproar about our broken foster care system? Our veteran care system? Our jail system? Our healthcare system?

How is it that people will go out to protest about closed down restaurants and businesses but not the other systems in place in America that churn out mentally and emotionally ill fellow Americans?

The sad truth is because what’s happening now is affecting their bubble and lifestyle. The other stuff doesn’t affect them, so why should they bother? But this? The closed down shops and the like are bogging down their style, so let us protest.

How many people do you think or know practice poverty? Even for a day or two? Why should anyone remind themselves about poverty? It’s called humility, gratitude, appreciation, kindness, consideration, and the days we used to remember where being nice was the way. Have you ever stepped out of your comfort zone of your $3–5K bed or more, (let’s face it, this is the minimum for a sleep number) to sleep on the floor for a night or two to remind yourselves how good you have it? Are you grateful for what you have or do you feel attacked when things are taken away from you?

We are freer than most but we chain ourselves to the limited beliefs we give meaning to.

417.

Four hundred and seventeen mass shootings last year in America in 2019. We have 365 days in a year.

There’s something gravely wrong with all of it. The emotional and mental sickness that boils steadily in America is about to boil over when the heat turns up.

Blessed be.