Lloyd Waters: Is there such a thing as ‘free speech’? – Herald-Mail Media

You know, when I think about free things, I always thought that must be a bargain of some kind. Good, free stuff is pretty rare these days.

Lately Ive been scratching my head thinking about this term free speech and all the many voices I seem to hear each day while others must be keeping their free speech card locked away for later use.

In the spring of each year as commencement exercises begin to dot our landscape with graduation ceremonies, there always seems to be a controversy involving some invited guest speaker.

This year was no different.

Ann Coulter, a conservative commentator who had been invited to speak at the University of California, Berkley was canceled over objections by students.

Free speech seemed to take a hit on this graduation stage.

Texas Southern University canceled a scheduled commencement address Saturday by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn after students at the college didnt particularly care for the senators politics and started a petition to complain about his invitation.

Free speech obviously didnt fare too well in this venue either.

Politics, liberalism and an ongoing dispute with conservatism and vice versa always seem to occupy our headlines this time of the year.

The battle between our youth and their dreams of the future, and the establishment and those who find it important to maintain the status quo, seems like an unsolvable conflict.

I remember reading Platos Republic so many years ago and focusing on a story shared by the philosopher about a ship sailing the high seas.

It seemed that the captain of the sailing ship was quite old and maybe set in his ways. But he was also a sea captain who had much experience in navigating the waters under the guidance of the stars above, and he had seen many things and possessed much knowledge.

As the young crew had many discussions about the captain, they began to criticize his performance and became dissatisfied with his leadership. Eventually, a mutiny might occur and the youth, in their passions and desires for change, would dispose of the captain.

A young crew member would replace him.

The only problem suggested in Platos story was that none of the young men possessed any navigation skills. The young crew had a desire to lead but had little basic experience to do so.

This same notion exists today in many places of the work environment, politics and government. Everyone wants to be a leader, but not everyone is prepared to become one.

Democracy sometimes suffers from the same dilemma. The oldest person and leader is often not the wisest, but might have some knowledge. The youth are not really any better prepared to navigate those waters of politics.

Plato was actually criticizing that concept of democracy.

His solution? Only true philosophers are the best leaders, because they possess the good attributes and qualities required of leadership.

That sounds good enough, I thought, after reading the book many years ago. But I dont know many virtuous philosophers either, I sadly concluded.

Freedom of speech is a very noble idea, too, but the expression of thought and conversation should never be restricted by political might or petition, if it is really free.

And shouldnt freedom of speech apply to everyone?

When students use their numbers to cancel a speakers performance or our president suggests that we no longer need political briefings, which really embraces or understands that concept of real free speech?

Even in Athens, where Democracy was born, the greatest travesty of Greek history, in my opinion, was the death of Socrates at the hands of leaders who objected to his free speech and thoughts.

As Socrates drank his potion of hemlock late that evening, and waited for death to arrive as he lay upon his pillow, maybe he thought too about that notion of free speech and how it seemingly did not apply to him.

Is there any such thing as free speech in this world?

I dont believe there is.

And maybe I wont be able to tell anyone.

Lloyd Pete Waters is a Sharpsburg resident who writes for The Herald-Mail.

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Lloyd Waters: Is there such a thing as 'free speech'? - Herald-Mail Media