Category Archives: Freedom

The artificial doves hang from strings in the rafters and the OVO owl is confined to his hat, but the fluttering piano man Robert Glasper is as free as can be. It wasnt always like this. It took him some time: a heralded Blue Note Records arrival. A couple of Grammy wins. A few movie scores, including one for a flick about an old horn player who felt kind of blue. Now, though? Hm.

I just learned to try, as much as I can, Glasper says, speaking in allegro meter, not to let people tell me what I am.

Hes picking at a plate of pearly burrata. Were tucked a half-shout away from the bar in a glittering hotel lobby off Park Avenue. Its mid-February and unseasonably warm, and Glaspers got a new album coming outthe second sequel to an old album, his magnum opus, the genre-bending transcendentally slick Black Radio. This ones called Black Radio III and it dropped on Friday.

By the time Id strode through the entryway, a small greenhouse of a vestibule, and ambled across the taprooms wide alabaster floors, Glasper had already carved out a nook for the two of us. He offered me a drink: My tabs open. Get something. He says thats just how his late momma, a bellowing gospel singer named Kim, raised him.

Her first love was jazz, but she laced Glaspers childhood home with syrupy funk and silky R&B. (Father Glasper used to crank the Isley Brothers, Luther Vandross, and especially Anita Baker.) On Sundays, Kim directed the church choir. Most other days, she had gigs across the city, which served as young Roberts day care and musical incubator. He picked up the piano from one of her bandmates and, well, that was that.

Next stop, Houstons legendary High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, where Glasper got heavy into jazz (when he was a senior, a freshman named Beyonc Knowles had just enrolled); after that, away to the School for Jazz and Contemporary Music at New Yorks New School. On the first day of undergrad, all the freshmen had to get on stage together and jam. Glasper cast quite the shadow. Silly good, is how his schoolmate and frequent collaborator Bilal described the performance over the phone.

You could hear his personality.

With Bilals help, Glasper soon connected with the Souliquariansa collection of soul revivalists that included the Roots, Erykah Badu, DAngelo, and J Dilla. Between 2000 to 2010, he signed to the biggest label in jazz, released four highly acclaimed LPs, thumbed his nose and ran laps around the genres stuffy white establishment, and commenced his most treasured campaign: to ply and revel in the space between genres. In 2012, he conjured Black Radio as the ultimate elixir.

They try to put you in a certain box, then theyre comfortable in that box, so they can do it too. And then they can be the head of it now, Glasper says, having moved on to a few fluorescent cherry tomatoes. [On Black Radio] I was like, No, this is what Im doing. Listen to this record. Its not about what I am. We dont know what I am. Im a lot of things.

In the years since its release hes kicked it with Kendrick on To Pimp a Butterfly (thats him drizzling acoustic honey all over These Walls), produced and composed for the likes of Mac Miller, Brittany Howard, and Anderson .Paak, and formed multiple super groups with an eclectic array of artists ranging from the rapper Common to the saxophonist Kamasi Washington. For the past 20 or so months Glaspers been mostly huddled in his home studio, chipping away at Black Radio III.

Collaboration in the time of COVID has been a drag, but hes not the type to leave a groove hanging. He managed to pick up features from Killer Mike, H.E.R., Esperanza Spalding, and Posdnuos of De La Soulplus a vivrant little Q-Tip verse. Sometimes labels and management get it wrong, Glasper says, digits fully extended. I want to hit the artist myself. The new records got a distinctly throwback gospel hue, with enough kick to stave off the ire of any zoomers in earshot. Its not exactly young but it aint exactly stale either. Glasper, 43, still has that voltage in his hands.

He leans back into his chair when hes really thinking. The seat is plush and low, with an array of gold bars that jut out to form a roof over his head. On a different figure itd look confininglike those coops Maya Angelou wrote about. But on this bird, constraints, even of the most glittering kind, dont fit. Glaspers been off that.

Your music has always struck me as particularly communal. Youve said before that many of your records have basically been just you and the artists youre closest to, jamming nonstop for a period of weeks before exiting to breathe. How did the pandemic scuttle that approach for Black Radio III?

It took longer than normal. Usually my whole thing with Black Radio is to have the artists in the studio. So literally the music for Black Radio was done in like six days. Everything was done for Black Radio 2 in seven, eight days. Its hard to get an artist in the studio for their own shit anyway without a pandemic, but with the pandemic it was even harder. Artists are depressed. Artists arent feeling artistic. A lot of people didnt feel the mojo. Like, Man, Im not singing right now. I cant even write.

Was that disheartening, as someone whose creative energy is fueled off those kinds of interactions?

Yeah, its totally different. Me and my boy Terrace Martin built a studio, so I had my own studio in the back of my house. I was able to just go in and create, by myself, whenever I felt like it. Thats the first album Ive done that. It was definitely different than what Im used to but I felt like just the fact that were in this pandemic is a reason to do the album. I owed my fans this, you know what I mean? Like they need this.

I remember thinking, on first listen, Damn, this is a real soulful album. Is that something that was intentional?

Thats interesting. The first songs I learned how to play on the piano were gospel tunes. People think I started at 2; most people who were good at piano start when theyre 2 or 3really young. I started when I was 11 playing with one finger in church, learning the songs. And then I just quickly got fast. Once I tapped into it, then it was like, zoom. This record, maybe that gospel just came out a little bit more for some reason. Maybe its because of the times were in. Because Im feeling that, Im feeling spiritual.

Is there a time in your life that youve most needed music?

When my mom passed. She passed in 2004 and I stopped playing for a while. I wasnt doing no gigs on tour or nothing. I just stopped. I stopped playing for about two months. Theres a point where you dont want to do anything and theres a point where you have to do something to get you out of it. I wore the same trench coat for two weeks. I didnt shower. I literally was wearing the same thing for like two weeks. Went to sleep in it. Music helped me through that. Theres this song by Jason Moran, piano player. He has a song called Gentle Shifts South. I listened to that over and over, and over, and over, and over again.

A fog of grief.

Just a complete fog, and its like you try and plug in pieces of things thatll get you up. But sometimes music is the only thing you can do. It was a lot of pressure then. I didnt want to fail because I didnt want to fail her. She died a year before I got signed. So it was all that. Because I wanted to please my mom, I wanted to make her proud. I didnt want to let the world down, my family down. I didnt want to let the label down. I didnt want to let music down.

How did you exorcise that? Or is it something you still find yourself falling back in?

Well, the record did very well. And then I realized I have something to say, I have a voice. As long as Im honest and saying what I personally feel musically, Im going to be OK. Because theres a place for it. Theres people that understand it. Theres people it helps. When you do an album and you start touring, you get to talk to people and they tell you what your record has done for them, your music. Once somebody tells you, I gave birth to your music, I got married to your music. Your music stopped me from committing suicide. Ive heard them all. Once somebody tells you that, you realize what youre making music for. After that, I was never afraid.

I read this quote from you. You were talking about your relationship with Herbie Hancock. You said that one of the things that you learned from him was that youre a person first and youre a musician second. You said, What you do can always be taken away from you. Then youre just left with who you are. That couldnt have been an easy realization.

Ive been in this industry for a minute and Ive seen people who are just fucking assholes. Just bad, not nice people, based on how good they think they are at what they do, and thats terrible. That sucks, because Ive seen people be great at something and the next day they cant do it anymore. I know a friend who plays saxophone and accidentally got his two left fingers chopped off. Boom, gone. Cant play no more. I know a piano player that had a stroke, cant play. I know a piano player who was digging his hand for an ice cream scooper. And he hit the joint and it poked a nerve. Fucked his whole hand up. He cant play. So what you do is not who you are. You are a person first and you are blessed to be able to do something. You have to remember that.

Is it true that you used to play twice a night, once under your real name and once under an alias on some MF DOOM shit?

Oh, absolutely. Same time. Same night. I was at the Blue Note and the Village Vanguard. And the Blue Note used to do late-night sessions. Friday night and Saturday nights, they do sessions that start at like 1 a.m. So Vanguard, I would be there with my traditional trio. Sets were like 8:30, 10:30. We finished there at midnight. And then I go right around to the Blue Note and do my late-night session under a whole different situation, with a different name.

Whats the first jazz record you ever bought?

My first jazz tape, in quotations now, was Kenny G, Silhouette. Yeah, Silhouette. It was Kenny G, because at the time I was playing clarinet in high school. In junior high and part of high school, I played clarinet. And I used to try to play my clarinet like Kenny G, out the side of my mouth. And my fucking, the orchestra director was always mad at me, Glasper! Because I was like [singing], trying to do vibrato and shit like Kenny G.

At what point does rap come into the fold?

I really got into it hardcore when I moved to New York. The Roots was doing jam sessions every week. Im going with Bilal. I met Bilal in school the first day of college. So he knew all the cats, he knew the Roots and stuff. Hes from Philly. So hes taking me to all the jam sessions with the Roots, and Im meeting Common and Erykah. I kind of got thrusted into it when I first got here, like, Oh shit, Im meeting Q-Tip. Im teaching Common piano lessons. I dont even know. Like Im really in here.

Ive always looked at your work as kind of a refusal to relinquish space. A refusal to cede jazz music to a white establishment. A refusal to let anyone tell Black artiststhe folks who created the genrewhat jazz is. I wonder, do you think of yourself that way? Or do you think of yourself as just somebody whos trying to just make some good music?

I just make good music and I make music that registers to me. I make music that is honest to me. But at the same time, Im aware that all them motherfuckers can kick rocks. Im definitely aware of how the establishment, white people, can take your music and try to control it, and do whatever they want with it. Tell you how to do it, and tell you what it should be, and do all these things when theyre not even in control of this. Theyre not the creator of this. Black people have created so much music that the world loves and the world wants to be a part of. R&B is ours. Gospel is ours. Hip-hop is ours. Rock is ours. Blues is ours. I mean, we can go on and on and on. And everyone in the world wants a piece of those things.

They believe that they can take it, if they please.

Exactly. To the point where when you look at all those genres that I just named, the biggest people in those genres are white. If you really look at it, biggest-selling hip-hop artist, Eminem. Biggest-selling R&B artist, Adele, Justin Timberlake. Biggest-selling gospel, they change all the time, but now they have Christian contemporary music? Somebody white. I forget their names, but theyre white. Im a fan of everybody loving music. But its like, we have a different story than everybody else. And weve been robbed of so many more things than everybody else in music.

This transcript was lightly edited for length and clarity.

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Robert Glasper Has the Freedom to Take Flight - The Ringer

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) In 2021, South Dakota became the last state in the nation to create a statewide needs-based scholarship, all thanks to a private/public partnership.

The Freedom scholarship is an endowment. Premier added 100 million, state of SD added 50 million, Avera and Sanford each put in 12.5 million, Premier Bank CEO Dana Dykhouse said.

This $175 million public-private partnership helped create the Freedom Scholarship in 2020now the first round of funds have been sent out to universities to distribute.

The earnings from that every year is what allows us to distribute these funds to the 13 universities that make the scholarship possible, Dykhouse said.

So students in South Dakota have 13 good choices that gives them the ability to find the school that fits and what they want to study, Augustana University Financial Aid DirectorTresse Evensonsaid

Private schools, like Augustana University, are among the 13 institutions that received some of the $5.1 million in Freedom Scholarship funds sent out last week.

We wanted to put the decision in the front line, the universities will make the decision of who gets those scholarships, Dykhouse said.

Incoming freshmen can start applying for the freedom scholarship for this fall, but this new program is also designed to help students at every stage of their college process.

Students need a way to make college affordable right out of high school but they also need a way to finish. This could help some students persist and finish too, Evenson said.

Many young people may only be 2, 3 thousand dollars away from a degree, their choice is, do I stay out and work or stay in and fill that degree, Dykhouse said.

The Freedom Scholarship hopes to fill that gap to allow students to complete their degree and start working in South Dakota.

The goal is twofold, number one to get young people into school and then to have them finish their degree and number two to build our workforce in South Dakota, think this freedom scholarship will do just that, Dykhouse said.

These scholarship funds come with a 3 year commitment to work in South Dakotaif not, the grants turn into a loan that must be paid back. Each university will come up with its own application and process for distributing the funds each year.

Original post:

13 Universities receive first $5.1 million from Freedom Scholarship fund - KELOLAND.com

Stand with freedom

As Europe nervously watches, Russian forces invade Ukraine, a sovereign nation, a practicing democracy, a move that should scare anyone who believes in democracy.

Russian troops are led by a megalomaniac despot, Vladimir Putin, who sees himself as the principal agent in the restoration of the Russian empire. Putin, like other school yard bullies, if he dreams it, he feels he should have it, regardless of the cost.

Putin has made a great show of his Bromance with a fellow bully, a gas bag former president trying to hide his complicity in the withholding of aid, congressionally approved, to Ukraine.

Trump, in his wit and wisdom, calls Putin smart, a genius. Trump dreams of his next photo op with Putin, leaving the rest of the Western leaders labeled as dumb. At the center of an iron curtain over Eastern Europe, a true hero of American politics, famously said, Ich bin Berliner. John F. Kennedy showed his alignment with the dream of democracy for Eastern Europe. JFK boldly announced that he stood with the forces of freedom. Who today is going to stand and say, I am Ukraine? You can be sure it wont be Trump.

Steve Baker, Longview

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Letter: Stand with freedom | Opinion | news-journal.com - Longview News-Journal

Happy Wednesday, everyone. We got some big news for the USWNT and USMNT yesterday, so we start there:

Turner Sports, HBO Max wins U.S. Soccer TV rights in 8-year deal - SSFC

8 years, $25-27 million per year for U.S. Soccer, as TNT, TBS, and HBO Max will be the new home of the USMNT and USWNT starting next year.

Washington Spirit to join European powers for womens tournament in Portland, Ore. - WaPo

The Washington Spirit will participate in the Womens International Champions Cup this summer, which will be hosted by the Portland Thorns. Chelsea FC is the 3rd team, and either PSG, FC Barcelona, or Bayern Munich will be the 4th team to round out the tournament.

The final team in the USL W League is here, and its right down the road in McLean:

Fantasy Focus: Vela-va Start - BRU

The first week of Fantasy MLS is in the books, and we see who led the weeks top team.

Power Rankings: Atlanta, LAFC & Nashville soar after MLS is Back weekend - MLS

They got D.C. United in 19th, up 2 spots. The disrespect...

Lokomotiv Moscow coach Markus Gisdol quits in protest at Russias invasion of Ukraine - ESPNFC

The Lokomotiv Moscow coach has quit after Russia invaded Ukraine, saying he couldnt coach in a country that was invading another.

D.C. United may have a new chant that we need to learn...what do yall think?

Shakhtar Donetsk evacuate Brazilian players to Romania - BBC

Brazilian players in Ukraines domestic league have had issues getting out of the country. Shakhtar Donetsk has evacuated their players to Romania.

Barcelona want their own cryptocurrency to challenge footballs elite - ESPNFC

Barcas trying to do their own crypto. Its probably gonna be named Ms Que Un Currency and be thoroughly disappointing.

Enjoy the day, everyone. Peace to Ukraine.

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Wednesday Freedom Kicks: Turner Sports gets U.S. Soccer TV rights, Washington Spirit to play in WICC - Black And Red United

My parents both lived through wartime Europe, and they made sure to instill in us kids an appreciation for what we have here in Canada

Lately it seems that freedom is in the news a lot.

Around the world there are many nations that deny basic freedoms and rights to their citizens that we take for granted. To a certain degree, it seems that freedom is in the eye of the beholder.

For instance, many in Canada are demanding freedom from Covid-19 health mandates, and, to some of them, Justin Trudeau is viewed as a dictator. Meanwhile, the people of Ukraine have been forced to fight for freedom from the invasion of their sovereign nation by Vladimir Putin.Perhaps that puts some perspective on the definition of freedom and the infringement of freedom.

But freedom does come in many forms.

By chance, Arlene and I watched the movie The Peanut Butter Falconthe other day. It is a great movie about a young man with Downs syndrome who makes good his escape from an institution and lucks into a better life. He found his freedom, and he helped those around him to find theirs too. It puts another perspective on freedom while highlighting kindness to those around us.

I am also happy to say that I recently discovered a new personal freedom as I was cutting the cheese in our kitchen. When Arlene saw what I was doing,she said I should be using a cutting board to protect the counter top.

Really? I asked.Dont forget that in the very near future we will have to move out of the house because of BC Hydro, so why are we worried about protecting the counter topanyway?

She paused, and I could see her thinking about it. Sometimes that is not good, but in this case I took it as a good sign.

In fact, I continued, I think cutting on a counter without a cutting block is true freedom.

I could see from the look on her face how that line wasnt quite working, so I quickly compromised.

OK, let me re-phrase that. From now on, in this house, there is no more need for cutting boards.

I could see I had found a chink in her armour.

SCREW BC HYDRO, AND SCREW CUTTING BOARDS! I shouted defiantly while looking for a Canada flag to wave in support of this newfound freedom.FREEDOM!

I felt a sense of euphoria as never before. The realization that one of the fast and hard rules of the kitchen had just vanished felt like a lifetime burden being removed.

But Arlene sensibly countered.Youre not going to develop another bad habit that we will have to break once we move out of the house are you?

Hmm just like her to burst my bubble of happiness at a moment like this, I thought. But I quickly assured her not to worry.

In all seriousness, I am truly thankful for the freedoms we enjoy. My parents both lived through wartime Europe, and they made sure to instill in us kids an appreciation for what we have here in Canada. My empathy goes to the people of Ukraine and their struggle to keep their freedom.

Ken Boon lives and writes at Bear Flat.

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Bear Flat Dispatch: Freedom is in the eye of the beholder - Alaska Highway News

Editor's note: This episode of SouthBound includes discussions of rape, murder and suicide. We try not to dwell on those things, but if those issues are triggers for you, please listen with care.

Photo by Christine Rucker

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In 1984, a young woman named Deborah Sykes was raped and murdered in a field a few blocks from where she worked at the afternoon paper in Winston-Salem.

Police soon focused on a suspect: a 19-year-old named Darryl Hunt. Despite a case that even prosecutors thought was shaky, a jury convicted him of murder and he was sentenced to life in prison.

He spent 19 years there until new DNA evidence proved he hadnt committed the crime. So, in 2004, after spending half his life in prison, Hunt went free. Except free is not exactly the right word.

Hunt became an advocate for other prisoners, and a documentary turned him into a bit of a celebrity. But he struggled with depression and anger. He took drugs. And in 2016, he killed himself in a shopping center parking lot.

Journalist Phoebe Zerwick wrote a series of stories in 2003 that helped free Hunt from prison. Now Zerwick, who teaches at Wake Forest, has written a book about Hunts life before during and after his prison term. The book is called Beyond Innocence: The Life Sentence of Darryl Hunt. Its an extremely appropriate title.

Show notes

Other music in this episode

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Author Phoebe Zerwick revisits Darryl Hunt's wrongful conviction and bittersweet freedom - WFAE

By: Brian Genest Feb. 2022

Break out the party horns: February 26 is Dracuts birthday. As the town turns 321, theres a lot to celebrate about our past, present, and future. One of those things is Dracuts rich agricultural heritage.No farms, no food isnt just a catchy bumper sticker slogan, its also the harsh reality.

In Dracut, were fortunate to continue to have a number of working farms. Our local farms provide us with fresh food, healthier eating choices and the opportunity to support in-town commerce and our town farmers. DracutFarms.com has details about all the farms in town, the Community Preservation Act and other information about local agriculture.

Open space, preservation and conservation remain high priorities for the town. Right now, the newly-formed Beaver Brook Farm Development Ad-Hoc Subcommittee is digging in and plowing ahead to help make some decisions about the future of the 24-acre parcel.

The seven members recently approved a charter, mission, and goals to guide the subcommittee as it works in conjunction with The Friends of Beaver Brook Farm, a private non-profit group, on land-use plans and other long-term considerations for the preserved property.

The subcommittee is working off the plan that was developed by a previous committee under the leadership of Ellis Neofotistos. The Board of Selectmen approved that plan in 2020 by a 4-1 vote.

Selectman Heather Santiago-Hutchings voted against the plan.The decaying out buildings are the immediate focus at Beaver Brook Farm. Several options are being discussed, including selling those buildings to the developer who bought and plans to restore the historic Justus Richardson farmhouse on the property.

At the Beaver Brook Farm and all over town, Dracuts farming roots run deep. So does our towns patriotism. Even before America was a nation, farmers from here in Dracut joined the battle for freedom, putting down their hand tools and picking up muskets. They left their farms and joined the battlefield, fighting for our independence in the Revolutionary War under the leadership of Joseph Bradley Varnum.

From the 1700s to today, citizens of Dracut have proudly served our nation in times of war and peace. Throughout history, they have fought for and defended freedom at home and abroad. In two World Wars, as well as in Vietnam, Korea, Afghanistan, the Persian Gulf and other locations around the world, citizens of Dracut have served our country in uniform.

Our heroes from Dracut who gave the ultimate sacrifice are remembered and honored with monuments, parks, and other memorials in town. For example, Dracuts World War I monument, which got restored recently thanks to the efforts of a private group, honors the 164 town citizens who fought in The Great War and never returned home to Dracut.

Farms and freedom are just two things that make Dracuts legacy special. Its a legacy we should celebrate and continue as we look to the next 300 years. Happy birthday, Dracut!

Brian Genest is the producer and host of Eye on Dracut, a monthly news magazine show about town happenings that airs on DATV Channel 8 and online at DracutTV.org.

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Celebrating Dracut's Legacy of Farms and Freedom The Valley Patriot - The Valley Patriot

The WPIAL basketball championship finals have arrived. After more than two months of regular-season action and almost two weeks of WPIAL playoff battles, 24 teams 12 on the boys side and 12 on the girls side have concluded their paths to the Petersen Events Center for their respective classifications title games. Now, its time to crown some winners.

Championship games for all classifications for boys and girls teams will be spread across three days Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Thursday features title games for Class 3A girls and Class 1A and Class 4A boys the Freedom Area girls (Class 3A) and Quaker Valley boys (Class 4A) teams will compete this day.

Heres a preview of Thursdays Day 1 of the WPIAL basketball championships for the two games that feature teams from The Timescoverage area.

Matchup: No. 3 Freedom Area (18-4) vs. No. 1 North Catholic (18-5)

Game information:7 p.m. on Thursday, March 3, at the Petersen Events Center

Scouting Freedom Area

More:Freedom Area punches first-ever ticket to WPIAL title game with dominant win over Avonworth

Scouting North Catholic

Matchup: No. 1 Quaker Valley (22-0) vs. No. 2 Montour (20-4)

Game information:9 p.m. on Thursday, March 3, at the Petersen Events Center

Scouting Quaker Valley

More: Thiero, Frank dig deep and deliver to send Quaker Valley to WPIAL finals

Scouting Montour

Contact Parth Upadhyaya at pupadhyaya@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @pupadhyaya_.

Originally posted here:

Path to the Pete: Freedom Area, Quaker Valley eye WPIAL basketball titles on Thursday - The Times

The Northeastern State University Fishing Team is partnering with Operation Freedom Outdoors, connecting students with veterans as part of a friendly bass fishing tournament at Lake Tenkiller on April 3.

Cody Smith with Operation Freedom Outdoors said Northeastern students approached the nonprofit about the NSU Fishing Team getting together with a group of veterans for a day of fishing as part of a friendly tournament.

Itd be a great learning experience for the collegiate bass team to be able to sit and bridge that gap between civilians and military personnel and give college kids a glimpse into the veterans lives, Smith said.

The tournament will begin at 6 a.m. April 3 with check-ins and lines in the water by 7:30 a.m. The event will conclude around 2:30 p.m. and prizes for the top three spots and other giveaways would be available.

The NSU Fishing Team is proud to partner with Operation Freedom Outdoors on this, NSU Fishing Team President Grayson Hudson said. We are excited at the opportunity to spend some quality time fishing and chatting with a few of our nations veterans.

Smith said Operation Freedom Outdoors mission is to support veterans by taking them fishing and hunting. He added getting involved in the outdoors can be therapeutic for veterans struggling with isolation and combating suicide and other mental issues.

Smith said it is also a way for veterans to connect with others. He hopes the tournament is a way for students and veterans to form bonds while doing a sport both groups enjoy.

NSU is proud to support veterans and help foster connections between our students and the military community, said NSU Vice President for University Relations Dan Mabery. This is a unique opportunity for these two groups to fellowship together, and I am sure it will be a rewarding experience for everyone involved.

For information and to register for the event, contact OFO at (918) 706-4717 or operationfreedomoutdoors@gmail.com.

We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story.

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NSU partners with Operation Freedom Outdoors to host fishing tournament for veterans - Muskogee Daily Phoenix

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