Freedom and courage are inextricably bound: freedom does not exist except in name alone unless it is accompanied by courage, an act of courage.
Most people live in fear, fear of the opinions of others especially. The "herd mentality" I have discovered exists across the political spectrum: "Most people think X, therefore X must be true. And I think X, too."
"What would others say (about me)?"
Jeering at others, throwing stones at others is all too common in our society. I don't really think that bullying exists as a phenomenon only among children or teenagers: Adults are as adept if not more, as my experiences with Yelp attest to.
The test of true convictions is that one does not allow the intimidation or bullying by others to cause one to recoil and fear and renounce those convictions.
This then is the cost of freedom: being ostracized, being pilloried, being punished. But if those beliefs are truly part of some core value(s) that one holds, one will choose to pay the price.
Moreover, peer pressure and the fear of being seen as having views and thoughts different from those of the peer group lead to a fear of "thinking outside the box." Freedom of thought requires that one be willing to think independently of the opinions of the particular peer group one belongs to. Hence, the battle of public opinion, the "bandwagon" effect, etc.
To be able to evaluate a society objectively, both pros and cons, to have the capacity to choose to leave behind the beliefs one has tenaciously clung to and that have been unchallenged due to sheer inertia as well as the fear of incurring the wrath and displeasure of the peer group is a particular kind of freedom with a high price that most people will not pay.
We're so interested in the U.S. (and in the West, in general, as well as most of the industrialized world) in "looking good," as if the reward of having others' admiration, esteem, and support were the be-all, end-all of things. Yes, "we sell ourselves" everyday, metaphorically and sometimes literally. Herein lies the conflict between the values of a capitalist society and one with spiritual values, notwithstanding the peculiar combination of materialism and faith that seeks to reconcile the two and at least ostensibly has done, at least in the eyes of its adherents.
Most people live in fear, fear of the opinions of others especially. The "herd mentality" I have discovered exists across the political spectrum: "Most people think X, therefore X must be true. And I think X, too."
"What would others say (about me)?"
Jeering at others, throwing stones at others is all too common in our society. I don't really think that bullying exists as a phenomenon only among children or teenagers: Adults are as adept if not more, as my experiences with Yelp attest to.
The test of true convictions is that one does not allow the intimidation or bullying by others to cause one to recoil and fear and renounce those convictions.
This then is the cost of freedom: being ostracized, being pilloried, being punished. But if those beliefs are truly part of some core value(s) that one holds, one will choose to pay the price.
Moreover, peer pressure and the fear of being seen as having views and thoughts different from those of the peer group lead to a fear of "thinking outside the box." Freedom of thought requires that one be willing to think independently of the opinions of the particular peer group one belongs to. Hence, the battle of public opinion, the "bandwagon" effect, etc.
To be able to evaluate a society objectively, both pros and cons, to have the capacity to choose to leave behind the beliefs one has tenaciously clung to and that have been unchallenged due to sheer inertia as well as the fear of incurring the wrath and displeasure of the peer group is a particular kind of freedom with a high price that most people will not pay.
We're so interested in the U.S. (and in the West, in general, as well as most of the industrialized world) in "looking good," as if the reward of having others' admiration, esteem, and support were the be-all, end-all of things. Yes, "we sell ourselves" everyday, metaphorically and sometimes literally. Herein lies the conflict between the values of a capitalist society and one with spiritual values, notwithstanding the peculiar combination of materialism and faith that seeks to reconcile the two and at least ostensibly has done, at least in the eyes of its adherents.
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