Democracy, freedom of speech and such...

Sometimes it really gets on my nerves to live in this country. It is a small, but very long country… if you place a pin in the very southern spot on the map, and turn the country around, the circle will cover a large part of Europe… far south into Italy and Spain.

Our straggling country, with its challenging landscape; weather-beaten shore, wuthering heights, narrow valleys, sparsely population, idyllic towns and really, really poor infrastructure (the roads are a nightmare, even in broad daylight) and, at best, cool temperature offers a good life for those of us who think unpredictable conditions a challenge and an adventure rather than a struggle.

Part of living here is the knowledge we live in a free and open democracy. We are considered liberal and open minded, in spite of our set ways of thinking and doing things.

We are all different, and we accept we have differences… so much so that we at times think that our constitution is an obstacle.

Our constitution is founded on Christian objects clause. We used to say grace in schools and kindergartens, but due to so many children coming from non-Christian homes this is no longer the case. We approve of gay marriages (not necessarily all of us, as individuals, but as a country with a state church we do) and all congregations, regardless of religion, get state contribution.

All of this is fair and reasonable, at least I think it is, but like any other free and democratic state we all have our own mind on matters like these.

You see: living in a free and democratic country has the disadvantage of living, working and functioning with people with different ways and different opinions, and there is no law against being stupid. Sorry but true… or maybe I should feel relieved?

We risk getting insulted and provoked because part of living here is the right we have to practice freedom of speech. On the other hand we do not have to agree and tolerate it by not standing up for ourselves. We should speak up when we disagree or feel molested. Even more so if we think someone else is unfairly spoken about.

Freedom of speech is not the freedom to express discrimination or to put others down. Freedom of speech boils down to be freedom to utter what you feel about matters in general, not to specify or frame individuals. We accept that freedom of speech implies responsibilities and limits. To be protected from becoming a victim of racism and degrading acts are more important than a person’s right to say whatever he or she wants.

Still… Have you ever tried to make two lists: one for synonymes to boy/man and one for synonymes to girl/woman. Add all the proper words you would find in a dictionary and all the words you use in your everyday language among family and friends (and be honest).

Boy/Man	Girl/Woman

I think you will be surprised over the result. And as you look at your list and count how many expressions you added, consider this: Are there more positive names than negative? What does the list tell you about how you regard people around you? The strangest part of it all is that what you wrote is most likely not conflicting the freedom of speech.

I embrace our democracy and the privilege it is to live in a country where we include and acknowledge individual differences, but it does not mean I don’t find it annoying.

How blind can I get?

To be blind can be two things, as far as I am concerned.

1: Lacking the sense of sight.

2: Unwilling or unable to perceive or understand.

I have been told that a person with no sight compensate by developing stronger senses on hearing, smell, taste, or touch. He or she will miss out on far less stimuli than most sighted people believe. The slightest change in tone of voice, or source of sound will be picked up as well as any other changes in the surroundings.

The ability to perceive stimuli originating from outside or inside the body will increase to levels we who can see have no premises to understand, and we tend to underestimate blind people because we forget they are so totally aware of their surroundings… it is just the sight, which is not present.  

If you are still reading you must think that I am one of the most shallow and unsympathetic person around. But life taught me how to overcome my own shortcomings (and my less fortunate situations), and when I read what Wes Craven ones said, it was like if he was saying something smart he knew I needed to hear:

“A lot of life is dealing with your curse, dealing with the cards you were given that aren't so nice. Does it make you into a monster, or can you temper it in some way, or accept it and go in some other direction?”

I still try, and make an effort to be the best version of myself, without compromising who I am and what I truly stand for. I am not saying I succeed, but I try. And I strongly believe, judging from those I know who have poor or no sight, that most of them, by far, do the same thing. They do not feel sorry for themselves, they take their lemons and make lemonade.

Which brings me to my second perception of what to be blind is.

As I get older and stop feeling sorry for myself and whatever comes my way, I realize how many people I consider to be quite resourceful (and with a certain level of intelligence) choose not to take a stand.

I am not talking about fighting for a cause or stand on the barricades… I am talking about having an opinion about what they read in the newspapers or take part in discussions on topics important to our community or even neighborhood.

I am far from being an activist, I have no really strong believes or causes that I fight for, but I try to keep updated on what is going on in the world. I try to see things from both sides, and I make up my mind on topics. So far so good, that is the easy part. The hard part is to face the consequences.

I would feel very stupid if I said that I strongly disagree with the use of children labour, and then go on buying cheap clothes without checking where they were made and for what brand.

I sometimes wish I did not have a messed up conscience which gets me into situations I am in the risk of being uncomfortable with.

If I was selective blind to certain issues, I could maybe feel a whole lot more relaxed and at ease. But… a Norwegian poet, Arnulf Øverland, put it so right when he wrote that you shall not tolerate so perfectly well, the injustice that does not affect yourself (freely translated, but pretty correct anyway).

What if my kids were affected by injustice, and nobody would stand by their side?

How blind is it ok for me to get?