Monday Musings #19

Freedom.

Freedom of speech. Freedom of religion. Freedom from slavery.

Freedom to vote.

Catalonia went to the ballot boxes yesterday despite being banned by the government in Madrid. At present, it is an autonomous region with it's own regional government but risks having their autonomous status withdrawn after the chaos of yesterday's vote.

If you have seen the news you will know that Spanish police were ordered to go and halt the vote.

They seized ballet papers, assaulted voters and smashed windows polling stations.

Such displays of violence from the state to it's own people is sickening.

According to the Human Rights Declaration, everyone has the freedom of opinion and expression.

This really made me think, do we have real democracy in our world? In the West, we are incredibly fortunate to even have a degree of 'democracy'. Through studying Sociology and just seeing events like this unfold around the world makes me wonder what the aims of people with power and with wealth especially as Europe has apparently turned a blind eye to this.

We see the huge disparity between the richest 1% and the rest of us yet, collectively, we don't do anything about it. We know it is not right but we don't take action because we fear the consequences? or because the media and entertainment just saturates our minds and the next hour these events across the world is pushed to the back of our head.

I am totally guilty of doing this too and because all of our lives are so busy we forget that there is a world beyond the boundary of our home, our workplaces, our schools.

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Freedom from fear.

Las Vegas we mourn with you.

It seems that we are becoming numb to such news - "oh another shooting in America".

Apart from the fact that people are allowed to have guns with them in the first place, it is tragic that people having the time of their lives be interrupted by such a callous act.

Although these things may not be happening everyday but when they do happen we are reminded that we live in constant danger or alert for signs of it.

It is sad but it is reality.

What does freedom mean to you?