GREAT AMERICAN THINK-OFF FINAL FOUR ESSAYS FOR 2006

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Which is more valuable to society: Safety or Freedom?

Tom Bailey
Archivist
Houston, Texas

Safety is more valuable

A free society is a beautiful thing, but a society can live without freedom. The same cannot be said about safety. No one would dispute that protection and safety were central issues in the formation of the earliest tribes, clans, and villages. That they are vital concerns of every modern civilization is equally beyond doubt. Any society that can t provide a basic level of protection is doomed.

Ironically, two childhood memories I associate with freedom s greatness have convinced me that while freedom is indeed valuable, safety is essential.

When I was four, I desperately wanted to swim. Jump in, kick, swing your arms, how hard could it be? I convinced myself I had figured it out. One day, while visiting my great-aunt and uncle, I decided to put theory into practice. I remember excitement as I ran through the grass, exultant freedom as I sailed through the air, someone s look of horror as I hit the water, and dismay as my kicks and flailing arms failed to keep me afloat.

I also remember my fully-clothed great-uncle jumping in and pulling me to safety.

The joy of sailing through the air will be my definition of complete freedom for the rest of my life. But how long would I have lived if no one had saved me? How much freedom could anyone enjoy without some protection from possible consequences?

Around the same time my mother often read me a poem called The Tale of Custard the Dragon. In it, Belinda, a girl as brave as a barrel full of bears, has four pets: a kitten named Ink, a mouse named Blink, a dog named Mustard, and the Dragon, Custard. Ink, Blink, and Mustard are, like Belinda, proudly brave and free. ( Blink chases lions down stairs. ) But Custard is a coward crying for a nice safe cage. The others tease him without mercy.

Suddenly, a pirate with murderous intent appears. Belinda and the others scatter in fear. But Custard comes forward snorting like an engine and eats the pirate. Custard is the unexpected hero who saves the lives and protects the freedom of the others. In a sense, he made their world safe for democracy.

In both these memories, freedom is a wonderful experience and achievement, but it cannot survive without protection. The same is true in society at large.

A society with no regard for freedom is drab and joyless even repugnant but it can exist. It can survive. How long would a society unwilling or unable to protect its members from aggressive neighbors survive? How long would a society unwilling or unable to ensure the safety of food or water survive?

In the United States, we have a deep historical commitment to rights and liberties, and yet through traffic laws, medical regulations and a host of other mechanisms we routinely, willingly limit our freedoms in the name of safety. Even our most cherished liberties are not immune. Freedom of speech does not extend to yelling fire in a crowded theater. Why? Because it would endanger the public safety. In the same vein, freedom of religion does not extend to human sacrifice and freedom of assembly does not extend to armed gangs roaming the streets. Individuals may proclaim give me liberty or give me death, but societies do not.

Should we then treat freedom lightly? Give away our rights frivolously? Of course not. Liberties equally shared by all make life better, even safer, and the easy surrender of rights usually diminishes both safety and freedom. Attacks on political freedoms are often couched in appeals to abstract fears with lip service to safety, but the protection offered is often vague or transitory and the loss of freedom is permanent. As Benjamin Franklin said, They that can give up essential liberty to obtain temporary safety deserve neither .

The risky exercise of freedom is often incredibly valuable in advancing a civilization and in protecting it from tyranny. This does not mean, however, that freedom and safety are of equal value. The fact remains that a society can survive without freedom, but not without safety. Where would Belinda and the others be if Custard had not been there to protect them? Where would my optimistic leap have left me without my great-uncle playing the role of safety net?

Without safety, our freedoms and our society would wither and die. The need for safety drove the creation of the earliest societies and safety remains the foundation upon which every society depends and every freedom is built.

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Sarah M. Dennison
Creative Consultant
Minnesota

Freedom is more valuable

How can I be free if I am afraid? Afraid that my workplace will be bombed? Afraid that I might inhale poison on the subway? Afraid that a lunch date with friends could be interrupted by armed, masked men, brandishing guns and whisking one of us away to an unknown place? Safety is certainly one facet of freedom. Autonomy and self-determination begin with the freedom to move and to act, unconstrained by fear, under the protective arm of liberty.

Terror is a tactic that changes not the legal foundation of society but the civil one. Terror inserts into the world self-censoring fear. In a land of terror, we cannot be creative, nor do we seek out productive or innovative risk. We consider not where we want to go but where it is safe to go; we use creativity to avoid saying or doing the wrong thing rather than saying or doing something new. When uncertainty brings with it a great likelihood of violence, we become fearful of every change, not just random acts of terror. We fear anyone and anything that might be different as a sign that terror is just around the corner, and we begin to fear being different, for to be different is to risk an unintentional encounter with the enemy.

However, terror is only a tactic. It is not a country, or a people, or an ideology. Terror is a tactic wielded with equal ease by individuals and governments. The only difference is one of scale. When an individual terrorist, like Timothy McVey or Ted Kaczynski, commits an act of bombing, the effect is horrifying in the moment but the scale is limited by definition. The destruction caused by a single bomb, even a series of bombs, is limited in both time and scope when compared to that caused by armed invasion. Even when there is a network of individuals like Al Qaeda or The Weathermen, a free society with its social and legal power can defeat the ideas and pathologies that give rise to individual acts of terrorism.

We often forget that civil institutions protected us best on 9/11. It was the FAA, not the Air Force, that quickly grounded air traffic; it was the police and fire departments of New York City, not the army, that saved lives and maintained order. There was no need for martial law or to call in the army because these civil, not military, agencies and the citizens of New York responded with commitment and speed. The power of a free, democratic society was never so evident as that day when civilians rose up together to protect civil society.

But when a government declares war on terrorism, it declares war on its citizens, for we never know who may turn violent. When we begin to suspect everyone as a potential enemy, the foundation of civil society begins to erode. Terrorists are not easily recognized. They can be ordinary people consumed by anger or deranged by illness; they can be members of an organization.

When a government turns its coercive powers against citizens and enemies alike, it becomes a terrorist organization itself, launching a jugernaught of fear against all its citizens. A society governed through fear makes each citizen a potential spy against the others and each citizen a potential victim of governmental excess. Governmental terror begins with changing the civil landscape, instilling mistrust among neighbors and coworkers. It moves quickly enough to justifying secret trials, warrantless searches, and limitless incarceration. Such state sanctioned terrorism easily justifies torture in the name of security.

Every tyranny and dictatorship claims it values freedom, but no free society puts its own citizens at risk. Indeed, safety is quite valuable to society, but it is not enough. A society that guarantees the life and safety of every individual, especially against governmental terror, has great potential for ever increasing freedom. But the opposite is not true. A society that espouses freedom, but does not guarantee it, can never expect its citizens to act as free people, for fear will always keep them from doing so. Government must first restrain itself and then restrain external threats in order for freedom to thrive.

No, I cannot imagine anything more terrifying than living in a time and place where lunch with friends could be interrupted by armed, masked men, brandishing guns and whisking one of us away to an unknown place. Especially if the armed forces whisking me away are uniformed police without a warrant.

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George O'Neill
Electrical Estimator
Crest Hill, Illinois

Safety is more valuable

To answer this question competently, I reflected on those things which societies value. Assuredly, all societies value both safety and freedom. However, in proper perspective and proportion, what any society values more, is relative to the times. Understanding the times we live in will help us, as a society, to assess the relative value of our safety and our freedom.

America is undoubtedly a safe place to live, in contrast to any country in the world which has plagues, terror, war and tyranny on its soil. Safety is a relative value until put into a context. How safe are we, and from whom and what are we seeking protection?

Today, in America, and around the world, there is great concern about global warming, terrorism, international pandemics, war, and even inflation. But, for purposes of this essay, I m including that safety which allows me to enjoy my considerable democratic freedoms. Not the least of which includes, the freedom to speak, worship, work, live and travel where I please. Like most Americans, I love my freedoms, while much of the world struggles to attain that which I have inherited as a birthright.

America is rich, powerful, and generous, but it is also great, largely because we have so many freedoms and the security to enjoy them. Some people may think that freedom is more important than safety. Perhaps, they need to think about the cost in freedom required to be safe from: lung cancer, a nuclear holocaust, an AIDS epidemic, a suicide bomber, a hijacked airplane, a house burglary, identity theft, or, a burning cross in their yard? All freedoms come at a cost, the most treasured of which, paid for in human blood. Freedom and safety are not only of equal importance, but also must co-exist in proportion to a given time and place in history.

The world correctly sees America as the land of opportunity , the country where the sky is the limit, and dreams come true. It is true for me personally. Dreams can come true in America because we have the freedom to dream, and the safety to fulfill those dreams without fear or impediment.

We are so comfortable and accustomed to our security, that it is easy to view our freedoms as rights, instead of the privileges of our citizenship. And, in doing so, we also forget that 24/7 there are people everywhere watching, guarding, and protecting those privileges in which we so casually indulge.

But, Americans also work hard, protect their property, speak their piece, and fight for what they believe. This independent spirit declares Don't tread on Me !

I conclude that - safety is more valuable to this society than freedom - at least at this time in history, as a prerequisite to the existence of our liberties, and in the context of this essay.

I could not appreciate my family, my home, my job, and the opportunity to speak to you now, without the peace and security afforded to me by my country.

As I spoke in my introduction, the question is one of relevance. For, until that day when we can take our swords and beat them into plow shares, we cannot say that we are truly safe or free. In America, safety and freedom exist side by side in a delicate balance, with the problems of the whole world, a constant threat to upsetting that stability.

At this time in history, and with world events as they are, this American believes that the cost of freedom is rising quickly. If I have to trade in some of my precious freedom for some increased security, I will pay that price. But, I must be convinced, to willingly do it, - for, freedom is so valuable, but safety is so necessary.

I am grateful that I am an American and in conscience, will do what is necessary; to defend and make safe those freedoms which I m so fortunate to possess. I believe that most Americans feel the same.

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Joseph Pingo
Director of Childcare/Program
Loves Park, Illinois

Freedom is more valuable

Sitting on my couch contemplating the Think Off question I began to drift. I started to survey all my belongings (which makes sense because I am moving in a few weeks, so I guess my brain just wanted to take a mental inventory of all the things I needed to pack). During my survey I made a curious observation, I am surrounded by objects designed for my safety. There are the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. My doors have deadbolt locks and peep holes to stop intruders (a very unlikely event in my neighborhood). Next to each of my sinks sits a bottle of anti-bacterial soap to protect me from the plethora of deadly germs I may come into contact with each day. My computer has a surge protector to ensure its safety from a lightening strike. Thinking back on the early portion of my day I found even more things designed to ensure my safety. There was the piercing screech emitted from my car reminding me to put my seat belt on. The salad bar at the restaurant where I ate lunch has a sneeze guard to ensure my safety from projectile mucous and signs in the bathroom reminding staff to wash their hands before returning to work. These memories brought forth further memories of safety related things. There was the Surgeon General's warning on my fiancé's pack of cigarettes and bans on smoking in public places. There are helmet laws designed to keep me safe for when I fall on my head. The airlines have restricted me from taking toe nail clippers on the plane for it may compromise the safety of my fellow passengers. The music industry has placed warning labels on CDs to ensure safe listening while the movie industry has designed a rating scale for each film so I can judge which one my family can safely view. So much of what surrounds us is safety orientated.

It seemed I had found my answer to the Think Off question. We value safety more. We, as a society, blanket ourselves with items and laws that protect us and ensure our safety. We want safer streets and safer cars. We call for safer schools and a safer internet. We spend billions of dollars researching ways to make things safer and we spend billions more buy those same items. It was a lot to think about and I was beginning to get a headache. Aspirin is what I needed. After a few frustrating moments wrestling with the child safety cap, I popped a couple of aspirin in my mouth and washed it down with a swig of coffee. I should mention here that the coffee burned my tongue. I guess I should have read the cups safety label: Contents Hot!

For a couple of weeks I went about thinking that we value safety more then freedom. I had no doubt. The evidence was all around. Two days ago, however, an 18 year old developmentally disabled girl changed my mind. I'm an administrator for an agency that cares for developmentally disabled children. It is my job to ensure each child's safety and to help them acclimate and integrate into society. Anna (not her real name) is a young woman who lives at my agency. Her goal in life is just to be a normal 18 year old girl. She wants to go shopping and to the movies. She wants to go on dates and have a boyfriend. She wants to call friends and get a job. She wants simple things. Things we take for granted. Anna has asked for these things repeatedly over the last few years and each time she asks we've told her no. Because she is developmentally disabled we fear she is easier to take advantage of and more likely to make mistakes possibly even make decisions that put her in danger. To protect her and keep her safe we limit and supervise her phone calls. We tell her that she's not ready for a job. We send staff with her to the movies and on her dates. We monitor her money and tell her how much she can spend. We do this to keep her safe.

We met with Anna two days ago to again discuss her life because she's been having a lot of behavioral problems (physical and verbal aggression towards those around her). We asked her what was wrong and why she'd been acting out. She started to cry. After a few moments she looked at me and said, ìI just want to be freeî. I was stunned. Anna just laid her head on the table and continued to weep. She cried the rest of the day.

We may have kept Anna safe, but in doing so we robbed her of her freedom. We thought keeping her safe was the most important thing in her life, but it wasn't. She needs the opportunity to take a risk. It's what makes life so exhilarating. She craves her freedom. We may want safer streets and cars, but would you want those things if it meant only being able to walk certain streets at certain times or drive only one brand of car. Would the internet be as interesting if someone chose which sites are safe for us to visit?

We want to be safe and we value those things which keep us safe, but, as in Anna's case, safety loses its value when it infringes on our freedom. Just stand in any airport security check line and listen to the passengers complain about the long lines and the pat downs. People complain because the safety checks are cutting into their freedom. Safety is important but we will always value freedom more then safety. Just ask Anna.

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