Freedom - To be or not to be?

This past week we have had some exciting news erupt around the world. It started in Tunisia in January, then spread to Egypt. Now we are seeing it shoot up in Yemen and Iran; who knows where else the cry for freedom will come. It is exciting days indeed to see people standing up for human rights and dignity. Democracy and freedom are fragile things and often one oppressive regime is replaced by another, but we can hope that progress is being made. Maybe just maybe the extremist will be balanced out by the moderates and the world can make another step toward peace. Our holy scriptures teach us about peace. They teach us that we must move away from violence an toward loving our enemies. They teach us that we must turn the other cheek, not responding with violence but also not allowing human dignity to be crushed. They tell us that we should confront those with whom we have a problem, but in a way that seeks reconciliation. True peace is possible if we all would seek to love our neighbor. In the end it may be a pipe dream, but each of us has the choice to participate or not. We might not save every life, but we can make a difference to a few. And right now, each of us can smile at the victories won by those in Tunisia and Egypt and hope that a permanent, egalitarian rule will be established.

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