Freedom is the Essence of Life

And Pitifully Abused

By Apolinario Villalobos

At the right moment, the fetus carried by the mother in her womb wiggles out free. The mother is freed from the burden. The baby sucks milk from the mother…the onset of freedom to life. As he/she grows she begins to naughtily run free from the hold of the mother….growing older as a teen, he/she begins to abuse freedom by indulging in vices. Growing older still, the more that he/she abuses freedom by stealing or by being corrupt.

In the Philippines today, freedom is abused using the principle of “human rights” and “due process”. Robbers who belong to syndicates easily go scot free due to bail posted by financiers. Drug pushers enjoy similar privilege due to corrupt judges and police. Students who pretend to be intellectuals abuse whoever sits as authority…they say, they just put into action their freedom of speech. Freedom to choose leaders is woefully downtrodden, what with vote-buying during election campaign.

With freedom, democracy seems to lead adherent countries to nowhere. America who claims to be the Mother of Democracy is agonizing with her own share of abuse. Old democratic countries of Europe are likewise reeling from the destruction of bombs, thanks to the lenient policies that welcomed terrorists into their benevolent arms…because of their own kind of benevolent freedom!

Yes, freedom is the essence of life as even Jesus, himself, died on the cross to free the humanity from sin….that is according to Christian advocates.