Equality vs. Freedom?

It is clear that since the election of the new President, that lines have been drawn in the sand, both politically and culturally....maybe even spiritually. Of course however, as history demonstrates, wars are never black and white, good guys vs. bad guys....there is always a third factor.

It seems to me that both sides of the political spectrum seem to revolve around one question:

Equality or Freedom?

The current health care debate is a good example of this ideological dichotomy. The "liberals", who happen to be in power at the moment, are (were) pushing for social equality in this health care debate by trying to get all Americans covered by some form of medical insurance, while "conservatives" oppose these ideas apparently out of a fear of a "government takeover of medicine". They are worried that they will lose their freedom to choose their medical coverage and that the quality of health care will decrease (for them as well as others). (I realize that a health care reform bill has been passed recently, but I will not comment on that here.)

Now, I do understand that this issue is very complicated in nature, with all the financial and business considerations, but I am a citizen who is willing to pay extra taxes in order to help improve the social welfare of others, because I believe that will pay dividends which would benefit many people, including myself in the long run and on many levels. Personally, I don't see how improving social welfare will impinge on Freedom as the conservatives claim, but perhaps I am ignorant or naive. It is my understanding that the role of government IS to improve and protect the social welfare of its people. Maybe I'm wrong....?

Having said that, I think that the independent spirt inherent in conservatism is certainly good. We should all strive to be independent people as this is healthy. However, for a political group whose ideologies are often rooted in a religion that espouses love for your fellow man, it seems very odd to me that they would not want social equality. (Of course, this changes when it comes to the issue of the application of Justice, that is when they seem to be okay with her being blind.)

So, what is the answer to this complex question of Equality vs. Freedom?

It's quite clear to me when I read the words of our founding fathers what the answer is.

From the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson:
(Note: Independence is another word for Freedom)

"We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

What does this tell us?

Simple: Man cannot be Free without Equality.....it is not a choice between one or the other.

Apathy and Politics

Plato once wrote that, "The penalty good men pay for indifferene towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men."

It seems to me that for too long, citizens of my generation (Gen X) have been very indifferent towards politics. The system was so large and convoluted that we didn't think our voice mattered, so we ignored it thinking that we cannot influence the system. When we decided to actually vote in past elections, many of us felt as if our voice was completely ignored due to some dubious issues in the voting system. Many of us gave up.....that is until recently.

The election of the new President has certainly triggered a firestorm of public opinion and passion on all sides of the political spectrum. For a Democracy, this passion is a good thing no matter what side you are on. This passion has also ignited a sentiment among the citizenry to monitor and pay more attention to the political establishment. Now, with the presence of the Internet, a new kind of free press exists....one that allows the average citizen to instantly have their voices heard in public forums. While this has its drawbacks of course, such as giving people the instant ability to publish scrupulous and unsubstantiated claims, it makes people in the government think twice about their actions and words....they know that the people are watching and can call them out on their actions. In a very real sense, it keeps them honest.

Plato was right, it is important for the people to pay attention and not get comfortable. There are things happening everyday in our government that go unnoticed that directly affect us. Some good and some bad. The point is that political apathy is not an acceptable quality in a citizen of the most poweful country in the world. All actions or inaction create an outcome of some kind. These outcomes not only affect us, but those around us well....including people of other nations. So the question now is, what outcome do you want for yourself, for your family, and your nation?

Pay attention and speak up when necessary. Otherwise, it is not our Democracy that fails us as so many of us might feel, it is WE who fail our Democracy.