I am really starting to get addicted to this platform. Why on earth did I join and do nothing for nine months? Well truth be told, I am impulsive and either charge ahead with something like a bull in the china shop, or I forget about something, then come back when my memory has been jogged.

I have spend an enjoyable last few days reading many great articles and have been inspired by @JonicaBradley and her writing prompt series. As my mother would say "better late than never Edward".

So here we go with my thoughts on what Freedom means to me.

However, before I plunge head long into a verbal tirade with immediately springs to my mind let me just quote the wonderful Danish author Hans Christian Andersen

"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower." from his fairy tale "The Butterfly". This quote almost encapsulates what freedom should be for me.

Freedom, my first thoughts....

A wee bit of a background to me. I initially grew up in Belfast in Northern Ireland, but due to the troubles we had to relocate to Scotland at very short notice (I came home from primary school one day to be whisked into my parents car, onto a ferry and then bam arrived in a place called Scotland, I digress that is a story for another day)! Well I am Scottish, however I consider myself British, I have a British passport and classify myself as British.

So, back to the topic of Freedom, and as soon as I say the word, I get the image of Mel Gibson in my head playing William Wallace in the film Braveheart (you know the one with his long hair and blue painted face). Well that film or movie was released in 1995, and when Scotland voted for independence from the UK, it was brought up over and over again and became the rally call for the Yes to Independence campaign. This divided Scotland and still divides Scotland.

I actually thought this was quite ironic as the film itself was so factually incorrect it was laughable. For example William Wallace was said to be 6'5" tall, nine inches taller than Mel Gibson who is only 5'8". So we now have half of Scotland wanting Freedom from the UK and to be it's own little nation, yet be a member of the EU and subject to those laws. How is being part of the EU any different to being part of the UK, when it comes to Freedom, Scotland is still not Free. It is all nonsense if you ask me, at least the UK speaks our own language of English (although not if you ask @fantagira she seems to think I speak a foreign tongue).

Therefore Freedom for me, whilst I thought of the image of Wallace shouting FREEEDOM is not Freedom at all. I don't think countries can ever be free now. They are certainly not Free of the past, that is for sure.

Freedom to choose

So upon reflection, Freedom to me actually comes down to Freedom to choose. Whilst we are pretty much all financially constrained to varying degrees, Freedom to me means:

• Freedom to choose to speak

• Freedom to choose who I want to speak to

• Freedom to choose where I want to live

• Freedom to choose when I want to get up

• Freedom to choose what I want to eat

• Freedom to choose to do anything without peer pressure

I have been fortunate enough to live and work in many countries around the world, and seen how our Freedoms in various countries change completely. I have been caught up in Civil Wars, and seen how in too many places there is no Freedom to speak. That is so horribly wrong in my opinion. Not liking a regime, does not mean you should be punished to death because of what you say.

If only everyone on the planet was able to do as Thurgood Marshall said :

"Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on."

I want to choose to speak to whom I want to speak with and in reality I want to do said speaking keeping the words of Bernard Meltzer the famous American radio host in mind when do:

"Before you speak ask yourself if what you are going to say is true, is kind, is necessary, is helpful. If the answer is no, maybe what you are about to say should be left unsaid."

I want to be able to live in a house or live on a boat. I want to live on an island, or in a town. I want to live in Algeria or Australia, Poland or The Philippines. In others Freedom is being able to choose were to live.

If I want to get up at three pm I want to be able to do that. If I want to go to bed at 4 am then I want to be able to do that too. I have always been a light sleeper and so have been up at all hours, however Freedom means being able to get up at a time that I decide, not because society dictates it.

Who remembers this from Oliver? :

"Food, glorious food!

We're anxious to try it.

Three banquets a day --

Our favourite diet!

Just picture a great big steak --

Fried, roasted or stewed.

Oh, food,

Wonderful food,

Marvellous food,

Glorious food."

Well Freedom for me is the Freedom to eat anything whenever I want, oh how fun that would be.

And lastly , Freedom to do anything without Peer Pressure. If I want to go belly dancing in Honolulu then I want to do it without being told how silly I would look!

And there we have it, my little ramble on what Freedom means to me.

A big thank you to anyone who is stuck it out to the end to read this and to the wonderfully talented @JonicaBradley for her writing prompt series.

Copyright @TengoLoTodo  2021 and yes All Rights Reserved.

Haste ye back.