In America we talk about independence a lot..but I feel like we've lost so much of it's meaning. We speak as if freedom means being 'free' from rule, and yet, we are ruled by so many things in life. We have laws that we must follow, financial restrictions, and lately so many social issues where groups argue over who has the right to do what.
Most of us live, have always and will always live as a part of society. Even if we may feel isolated from time to time, we are still impacted by the people around us. And being part of a community can bring both levels of independence and levels of dependence.
In this modern age, we are reliant on money to live. We have to trade our time, energy and often resources to make money to pay for the things that are necessary for life (food, shelter, etc). And we like to think that, if we can pay all our bills, we are 'independent'. But I think that much of that independence is an illusion.
So many people are one tragedy away from disaster. What that tragedy is may differ from person to person. For some, it may mean any unexpected issue, like having your car break down or needing to buy a new appliance. For others, it may mean saying the wrong thing and loosing their fan base (and thus their income). And all of us are one accident away from disability. And we are not set up, as a society, to help everyone become independent, so once you reach a threshold of dependence, it is virtually impossible to recover.
I also feel like independence speaks to our ability to choose. If we are independent, we can decide what we want to do for a living (and we aren't just slotted into a job because it was the only one we could get and now we're stuck). We would have the choice to live our life how we decide (and that means being able to dress how we want, love who we want, and be who we want to be). It only takes one peek into the news or social media to realize that we don't have those choices, that there are many choices we can make where we will be punished for what we chose.
This especially relates to social issues. There are many people in the world who believe that they know what is best for everyone, and they will do everything in their power to push their views onto other people. This is one place where we come to a tricky issue, because those of us who want people to have choices, who want people to be free to be themselves, we aren't going around trying to force other people to think like us, and therefor the other side has the advantage.
And this is where I think we need to draw the line. We need to start fighting back. There is a difference between trying to force other people to agree with you and allowing them to push their beliefs on everyone else. We can say "it's fine for you to think a certain way, but you don't have the right to force others to live by your beliefs." And we can push back when they try to do it anyways.
As Pagans, we are one of many groups who still has to fight for our rights. Our right to not have our children taught someone else's religion in school. Our right to have our beliefs respected (and not belittled or laughed at). Our right to the same religious privileges as others (being able to take our holidays off, being able to wear symbols of our faith, being able to hold religious ceremonies in public). And many of us know that we can't only stand up for ourselves and we can't only fight our own battles. If we stand with other groups who are having their independence threatened, then there is a good change they will stand by us...and that is how the world should work!
Now we all stand up for ourselves (and others) in our own way. Some people like to get out in the world and protest. Others may prefer to write letters to politicians. Others lead discussions online, trying to educate people. Some write blog posts *grin Some might do what they can to help people find their independence, while others comfort those who need help right now.
And some of us take up our tools and work to create the world we want to see. We address the injustices of the world through magic, and we direct our energy towards changing the parts of the world that are broken. We want everyone to be able to find their path, to live the life they want to live, and to be happy. And that is what I think independence means: the ability to live YOUR life...the way you want to live it. And it is worth fighting to make sure that everyone has that opportunity.
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