Nov,9 Freedom Day

Nov, 9

International Day of Freedom A child was asked what freedom is. His innocent reply was that it is a situation in which he faces no checks while playing with his toys in a muddy pit. A horse was asked what the freedom meant to him. He straightforwardly replied that he never liked to be leg cuffed while roaming around the lush green pastures and on hill slopes. A nightingale was asked the same question. She replied that to her freedom meant absolute liberty to sing melodious nocturnal songs and flatter over the multicoloured aromatic flowers. The lion talked about freedom, “Freedom is when I find no hurdle in my way while chasing a fragile deer to tear her into pieces and when the same question was put to man, he said, “I am free when I feel myself free to do, think or say whatever I want without anyone stopping me” Obama was asked what freedom meant to America and he said, “We are free when there is no check on our brutality in Afghanistan, Iraq and other Muslim countries”. For Taliban freedom is freedom to massacre the innocent people who have no fault except being innocent. Freedom to Israel is that they should enjoy a free hand to slaughter the innocent babies of Palestine and should face no opposition whatsoever while blocking the roads leading to Masjid-i-Aqsa. So what freedom actually is? Is it what it really means or is it what it means to every individual according to his/her own taste? The United States of America is celebrating the world freedom day today the 9th November. World Freedom Day is actually a United States federal observance declared by then-President George W. Bush to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of communist rule in Central and Eastern Europe. It is quite ironical that the country like America is talking of freedom for the world and that too on the behest of the most notorious of its gone by presidents-G.W Bush. Turning over the pages of history, it is America who up till now has been interfering with the freedom and sovereignty of the developing nations. Be it South Asia or be it Middle East, America is playing its dirty politics in the garb of liberator. Looking into the fact of man being free we actually come to know that none is free though everyone is supposed to be free. Today the United States is celebrating the international day of freedom in a situation where factually no freedom exists. A chained man has no reason to celebrate or boost of his freedom unless and until he breaks not all those shackles that have chocked his freedom. The French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau asserts "Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains". Today almost every part of the globe is facing servitude. Yes one thing can correctly be said that at present humans are autonomous slaves enjoying great deal of guarded freedom. Most of the days celebrated all over the world are recognized by the UNO; however, the international day of freedom is not in that list because this renowned organization itself is not free. Such prestigious organizations assert their freedom but are actually manipulated by international powers that again too are not free though they are

enjoying their might and authority. Is America free? No not at all. America is the slave of fear and anxiety. It is engulfed by the psyche of possibly emerging Muslim dominant era and also is occupied by the apprehension of Palestine becoming a free Muslim nation. Sometimes it fears India of becoming a super power and sometimes panics for Iran of becoming a nuclear power. America is the slave of arrogance and haughtiness. Had she been free in the real sense of the term, there would have been no Afghan or Iraq or Palestinian like lethal conflicts. No Osama or Al-Qaida would have surfaced if America and her allies would have emancipated themselves from pride and prejudice both political and religious. Intolerance shown by these apparently free and developed nations suggests their mental servitude and wisdom bankruptcy. I firmly believe today’s democratic monarchs like the United States who dictate terms to the world to be unfree. Free is one who has conquered fear, lust, and anger and is thus inwardly free while today’s Noble Prized statesmen who talk high of universal peace and freedom still serve these masters and despite their outward power have failed to achieve freedom. Though they have conquered the world by their might alas, they have not mastered their world within. History bears testimony to certain facts in this behalf. Notable 20th century individuals who exemplified real freedom include Nelson Mandela of South Africa and Gandhi of India. Today when the world freedom day is being observed in America, let Obama and his friends liberate themselves from the whirlpool of anger and arrogance. Let them free their inner world that is ruled by hatred and intolerance. Let Obama, as he has promised in his inaugural presidential speech that he will listen to all, listen to the Palestinians as he listens to the Israelis. Let him and all those who endorse his every action realise that Afghans are no brutes by birth they are made so just for petty political gain. Let them accept all others as their equals. This will ensure them their freedom and freedom for all. When we refer to the philosophical meaning of freedom it is revealed to us that an individual or a nation is free only when there is inner autonomy. Such a freedom can signify mastery over one's inner world. For instance the ability to act in accordance with the dictates of reason; the ability to act in accordance with one's own true self or values and the ability to act in accordance with universal values of truth and falsehood. A beast is free in jungle but without inner autonomy his freedom always proves a great peril too hard to embark upon. Human being in no case can enjoy such a freedom as it is negative freedom not the positive one. If America really means what it is celebrating today that is the freedom for all, let her be brave enough to liberate herself from the clutches of pride and prejudice. When somebody flies high even the Himalaya looks like a sand dune to him. Let America fly not so high that everything becomes invisible for her. Let her give peace a chance and let her ensure freedom for all by tackling Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine genuinely. Let America stop poking her nose into others’ affairs and let her not think that right is what they deem right but right is what is right by all means. Let every nation be free and let America be free before it is rendered unfree

by the time. Let this be the message from the pentagon today when they are celebrating the world day of freedom. Sabir Hussain Isaar [email protected]