Careful: Words Can Kill

Question: For a long time, humanity dreamt about democracy and freedom of speech. A lot of blood was shed fighting for this right. Freedom of speech is one of the most significant achievements of modern man.

When dictators come to power, the first thing they do is limit the freedom of speech. Why is it so important to us to freely express our thoughts and opinions?

Answer: The desire for the freedom of speech stems from human egoism and our desire to be “important.” Freedom of speech adds social “weight” when we proudly stand up and express our opinion. This is how we state our presence in this life and world.

The desire to express oneself derives from our egoism; everybody has it. When our egoism grows, it becomes more and more complicated and demanding. So, it requires a broader range of self-expression.

Thousands of years ago people didn’t have a need to speak openly. Living in a small village, they didn’t lack freedom of speech: What were they supposed to talk about anyway?

Modern man appreciates his freedom of speech, but do we know what it is?. If this is the freedom to say whatever we want, then how are we sure of the correctness of our views? Do we really understand that we are responsible for the words, which can hurt someone?

The same can be said for government elections. Do we understand that we are responsible for the future of our countries and even for the entire world when we submit our ballot?

Freedom of speech depends on a person’s developmental level, education, and understanding of what they talk about and what influence they produce by saying what they say. These are not the speeches in Hyde Park, London that entertain tourists.

Before we take advantage of the freedom of speech, we have to be properly educated because it imposes a great responsibility. Not only are uttered words strong weapons, but even our thoughts. Our thoughts soar around the world and collide with each other, creating a field of thoughts that impact us and the whole world.

Therefore, freedom of speech obligates us to be at a certain level and to accept a huge responsibility. When saying something out loud, we have to make sure that our words spreading around the world will enhance correction instead of just proving my truth as it appears to me in my egoism.
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From KabTV’s “A New Life” 6/21/15