Freedom

It was so uplifting to watch the London Summer Olympics, from the spectacular opening ceremony to the excellence and joy of all the competing athletes, to the exuberant closing ceremony. For me, the emotional and intellectual highlight was the song by George Michael,"Freedom". It was an appeal to human decency, to respect, on an individual, group, country and international level. In an era where many democracies are fighting for survival, it was a timely message. To see the word "FREEDOM" flashing in white bright letters across the entire stadium, was exhilarating, moving and very hope giving. Freedom is closely linked with dignity. You deprive a person, persons, or an entire people of their freedom, and they quickly lose their dignity, and soon after that their humanity. Any type of dictatorship, be it to the right or left, has left and leaves gruesome reminders of that lethal threat. The Nazis in Europe come first to mind, because I grew up in Belgium, and the people in my parents'generation were directly and deadly affected by that monster of tyrannies. People in North Korea, China, just to name two obvious countries, suffer the lack of basic freedoms on a daily basis. The people in Russia, for now, enjoy a measure of freedom unheard of under the Stalinist terrors. The song by George Michael also was a reminder of the danger of the loss of individual freedom in every day human relations. Perhaps the reason that dictators world wide are so adept at their brutality, as we witness daily in the tragic reports on the bloody repression of freedom in Syria, is that they are quite aware that part of human nature has a dark side that enjoys being a bully, and depriving another from their respect and free will. Domestic violence against women and children runs across all political systems and cultures. The horrors animals endure at the hands of barbaric humans worldwide is a daily consternation for animal rights activists. The violation of basic human rights in prisons of all political convictions is a continuing battle for brave organizations such as Amnesty International and even in proud democracies such as the United States brave men that speak out for freedom and dignity end up murdered , like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. Native Americans did not have the freedom to practice their religions freely until 1978. So freedom is a challenge, to obtain and to keep. Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison struggling for freedom for all people in South Africa before becoming victorious as the first black African President of South Africa. Scores of brave men and women were tortured and killed in gruesome fashion, while the rest of the world looked elsewhere in denial. Freedom is a precious and precarious commodity. The song reminded me that it is up to each and every one of us to make sure that we respect each other''s right and need for freedom, in our relationships, in our convictions and commitments. The best part of the Olympics to me was to realize how humans can achieve excellence when working together for a beautiful cause. In that sense, hearing John Lennon's song "Imagine" was a wonderful way to give the message of freedom George Michael wanted to convey its proper dimension and importance.