ARE WE FREE?

The word freedom has been interpreted in many ways, but are we free? Here in the U.S. we celebrate the 4th of July with picnics, bar-b-ques, displaying the American flag and proclaiming we are patriotic Americans. The majority of the people have no idea that instead of freedom that we have been carefully herded into enslavement. We are an enslaved people, because we are enslaved to our beliefs, our attitudes and our habits.

It has been eons since women were free. Women have been treated no better than a servant in the majority of the world. Women have been under the thumb of the males for the most part. There have been and are men who treat women a equals and I honor them. When I say men or males in this article, I am talking about the men who wield power over women. Women are still considered sex objects and the dumb blond jokes are sickening because they demean intelligent women who happen to have blond hair.

Religions have perpetuated the enslavement of women by not allowing them to take their rightful place in the pulpit whether it be Catholic, Protestant, Jew or Muslim. For the most part, it is still the women all over the world who bear the children. I do not think the male has the capacity--yet. Am I anti-male? Not at all. I have three sons who are wonderful men, husbands and fathers.

How do we break the chains of enslavement? How many have the strength and will to say no? One of the first chains to break is that of prejudice. Too many people look upon others with suspicion because they are different. What if each of us began to accept the differences in other people and look for something wonderful about them? What if each of us dropped our prejudices against color, language, dress and an opposing belief in God?

What if we women teach our children not to be prejudice and this includes making fun of others. Children can be cruel in many ways, because they are echos of what they hear and learn in the home. Name-calling by children is a cruel past-time. Shame on we women if we allow this in our children.

We have also become enslaved to the advertising corporate world. It use to be that when digestive aids were advertised on television that it was aimed at the older people. Now, I have noticed the actors in these ads are for the most part women that look to be in their thirties. It is subtle programming that one is sick. If women would begin to think for themselves and to look at the commercials as an observer, then a different picture would begin to form and all we have to do is refuse to buy the products. It is time to be discerning.

We women have a brain the same as men. We each have highways in our brain labeled neuronets. Our highways are activated by the belief systems, attitudes and emotions we perpetuate. Freedom comes with a price and that is to give up trying to be like everyone else and this goes for men also.

On this 4th of July, freedom is calling out. It is an opportunity to examine our prejudices, what pushes our buttons, to forgive ourselves and others, and to work for the equality of all people all over the world.

As long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you otherwise might.- Marian Anderson