Blog Entries/ June 12, 2022June 16, 2022

Is Freedom of Speech an Illusion?

Hi Dear Readers!

This will probably be one of the most important posts that I’m going to make. It is safe to say that since 2020 the world has been turned upside down. Particularly corona has impacted nearly every single person on Earth in one way or another. Me and my partner went fairly unscathed through the pandemic, and even managed to land jobs, where other people were fired from theirs. For that we are lucky. However, this blog post is not about corona. But it was when the virus came, I personally got a taste of how corrupt society actually is. This pandemic has brought themes to the surface of society in a way that I haven’t seen before in my life. One of those themes that I will cover in this post is, as the title suggests, “is our freedom of speech an illusion?”

NB: The things I’m going to mention is purely based on my own experience. Only take what resonates with you from this post and leave the rest. You are on your own journey, and only you know what is best for yourself.

What is Freedom of Speech?

To get an understanding of where I want to go with this post, I want to establish a common understanding of what Freedom of Speech is.

Freedom of speech can look different from country to country, heck some countries don’t even have these words in their dictionaries. But the basic idea concerning the phenomenon is the same. Freedom of Speech to me is the right to express your opinions and believes, without fear or censorship/unlawful interference. You can freely express your views no matter your sex, gender, race, financial status, religion, medicinal status, societal status, etc..

Fear is the Best Motivation

If there is something corona proved, it is that fear is something that force people to act. If a predator came at you in prehistoric times, the fear of being eaten was a ‘motivator’ for you to start running away. The same analogy can be used with ‘irrational'(the reason for the ”, is that it is very ‘rational’ for the person experiencing it) fears as well, for instance anxiety.

But particularly with corona, the narrative very quickly became one full of shame, guilt, and fear. “Now you need to show solidarity, and compassion for the people around you, but don’t get to close to them because they could potentially infect you with this deadly virus.”. Since death or the idea of death is such a taboo and fluffy topic, it can be one of the best arguments to make people do what you want.

Here in Denmark, the government has been making an effort to create division in the public. Rules had been set in place to limit the freedom of people who wouldn’t follow the narrative. “You can’t enter this store if you won’t wear a mask”, “You have to wear a mask when you enter the bus, but you can take it off when you sit down”, “If you won’t get tested you are not allowed into your education”, “If you won’t get vaccinated you can continue your job here”, “Even though you are vaccinated, you must continue to get tested to make sure you don’t infect anybody”, “And if anybody won’t follow these rules, they are the reason that this pandemic continues”, etc..

“You should not be allowed to voice your opinion!”

When corona very quickly became public enemy Nr. 1, the people who were critical of the narrative, were right up there on the podium with the virus. Excellent way to divide people. I experienced that firsthand on my own body. I had been walking around for a long time not speaking up for what I thought was right, because I saw how many people around me had been brutally attacked due to having these views. But one day I decided to give my two cents on a comment in the group chat of my class discord. And that resulted in brutal retaliation.

I was told that people who had the kinds of views I did are retarded, stupid, we should not be allowed to voice their opinion. And it’s because of individuals like us that people are dying from this virus. With the propaganda that people have been fed, I completely understand the reaction. People always do the best they can and act from the place they are in their lives. Nobody can be blamed for that. But I was shocked to experience what many who went public with their views already had.

Respect

I will not spend my time trying to argue with people. The individuals who already passionately disagrees with me will probably not be open to other views than their own. That will already start off with being a very one-sided discussion. For these people I wish you well on your way.

I have however, mainly been met with mutual respect for my views. I don’t try to change their mind and they don’t try to change mine. And that’s really where I think we need to be. Respect for each other as individuals and equals. The narrative has very much been one group against the other group and we have been played up against each other. Because the people in charge must know best.

‘Freedom’ of Speech

So, there’s a general notion I’ve gathered, after having been on both the side of the big narrative, as well as the minority. You opinion, your beliefs, your right to speak only matters if it is the same as the common narrative. If it differs in any way, get ready to face any kind of retaliation. Can we really call that freedom? I suppose that is somewhat up to interpretation. But I believe it is worth thinking about. How do we react ourselves when we interact with somebody who disagrees with us?

This topic is obviously something that can’t be boiled down to a single blog post. I definitely have more things to say. But if anything, there’s one thing that I want you to take away from this post. How do you feel inside when you are confronted with people who has opposing views? All answers are ‘right’ answers. In my opinion, a part of a Conscious Lifestyle, is to become more aware of ourselves and our views and feelings.

Did you find this post useful or interesting? Please share it with your family and friends and give it a like. I appreciate it! is our freedom of speech an illusion is our freedom of speech an illusion is our freedom of speech an illusion