One of the things I appreciate every day is my freedom to think and speak. I might not always be able to do exactly what I want. But I can always open my mind and share my words. This is a precious gift. Not everyone can do the same.
When I started to make connections with my Guides I said very little to anyone else. But I was thinking all the time. Even if most of what I was thinking was doubt and disbelief. Over time I talked to other people who were on a similar journey to me. I was finding the freedom to talk about what was inside my head because there were others who would listen. I am grateful that I got the space to say what was in my mind. Both to my Guides and to those people who were willing to help me work it all out. Something I watched on TV last night reminded me that not everyone is so fortunate. Every day children are told what to think and say by the adults around them. Sometimes what they are told is all about hate.
How do I know the world is anything other than what I have been told? Because I have the freedom to think about it. I can use my voice to question and discover more about what I understand. But I also remember how much I had to challenge in my upbringing to decide what I now believe in. Where children are schooled in fear, taught to hate ‘the other’ there is a real danger that they will never question what they have been told. Especially if their access to other information is limited. Or non-existent. That is why I believe that I have to encourage freedom of thought and word as much as possible. Even if I don’t like or share the thoughts and words of someone else.
Like mindedness is lovely. But surrounding myself with too much of the same thinking as me is dangerous. In the end it can narrow my viewpoint so much I become closed to new ideas.
To enjoy my freedom of thinking I have to embrace listening to those who don’t think like me. Even if I find what they say is really objectionable. I have to let them share their voice. So I can think about my response. And check in that my beliefs are still the way I want to move forward. As a child I believed in one religion. As an adult I have explored many religions. And at this point I have no orthadox religion. But out of that thinking has come spirituality. A set of principles I can live by. And the freedom to discuss what I believe in with confidence. I would like all children to be able to have freedom of thought. Really have a choice in their adult lives. But that seems a long way off.
Children are still being taught to hate and fear from within religions. The emphasis is not on living a good life but in living a life dictated by a set of rules men have designed. Yet the inspiration for those religions is the love we can all share for each other. That is what I would encourage everyone to be thinking about. To be discussing. And to be embracing. I know we can live peaceably with one another. It’s not such a great stretch. If we allow freedom of thought and speech, have the discussions and, if necessary, agree to differ. I believe in love and let love. To do that I feel we need to free our minds and think more deeply. I know we have the freedom to do that if we choose.
Day 509 of my blogging challenge