Freedom and trust | News, Sports, Jobs – Daily Mining Gazette

To the editor:

We have used our freedom to separate ourselves into political groups, and we have allowed our differences to become so great that we no longer trust each other. It seems we are standing on opposite shores. Will we swim the gap? Some will trust the water, others will need life jackets, but the important thing is to realize we need to reconnect, for the good of our country and our hearts.

Freedom is a value, one among many. Unbridled freedom does not bring happiness, nor does it create livable communities. We have other values, such as fairness, security, loyalty, compassion, equality, justice, environmental responsibility. All are valid, and discussions as to how to prioritize them can be civil and respectful, if we trust each other. Trust is a choice, a good habit that requires exercise. (I heard a new beatitude in church last week Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.)

Respectful relationships are essential to a functioning democracy. Our competitive nature is interfering with both our freedom and our trust. The love of winning can become addictive, and the fear of loss can paralyze us. Remember, our core values are all valid. After elections, we voters must insist that our elected representatives work with each other.

The past two years have taught us a lot about ourselves and our communities. We have had to choose whom to trust. We have made mistakes, but we can decide to look for the humanity in each other and to recognize the shortcomings in ourselves. Fortunately, we have different faults and strengths, so our group projects tend to succeed.

Only the educated are free. Epictetus, a Greek philosopher, who lived about 2000 years ago, understood that freedom requires us to use our intelligence to distinguish truth from falsehood. When in school, we trust our teachers to share their knowledge with us, and our worldview expands. Whether this expansion continues depends on the sources we trust.

Our freedoms allow us to spread disinformation. It takes effort to ferret out the truth, to expose false prophets, and to admit to having followed them. Who among us hasnt shared facts that we later learned were not accurate?

While freedom is a value, trust is a way of life. When we choose to trust each other, our democracy gives us the ultimate freedom to live without fear.

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Freedom and trust | News, Sports, Jobs - Daily Mining Gazette