Freedom and challenges

I've had a particular bar of Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee" stuck in my head today--fact for those thinking right about now that it was a Janis Joplin song--Kristofferson wrote it...

Freedoms just another word for nothin left to lose,
And nothin aint worth nothin but its free

The irony is that as I checked out the Owl Farm Blog tonight, it was echoed even more in Anita Thompson's last two posts. She reminds us that her husband, Hunter, felt you have to take the wolf by the ears when dealing with the law. Which, I hadn't forgotten, but it still (even if slightly askew) fit my mindframe, but even moreso was her previous post that was Hunter's final definition of gonzo journalism which is not accepting the word of authorities as truth. These two sentiments are very connected especially when we read how the US is murdering civilians, and removing from its protocols pieces of human rights with regard to the treatment of prisoners.

I just wonder how much people will take before they realize the freedom we have isn't in what the authorities say, it is what we have left--it is our stake, our interest, our passions, our angers... it is not our apathies. How long before people start to realize, we don't have anything left to lose and we start making those little acts of bravery I wrote about the other day?

Ahh, but freedom is painful, and risky... when you take the wolf by the ears, you might get bitten. And that is part of freedom--when you are willing to stake the pain and the hurt of the unknown for the known--when that no longer matters because it overrides the pain and achiness of what currently exists. When it has to be done, unabashedly because your very survival demands it.

It's a thoughtful balance--how to trade one pain for another.

It doesn't matter too much if they are personal acts of freedom--sometimes those are the most difficult... be brave. Starting small is talking about and plotting the liberation of Puerto Rico--going big is asking the guy in the park jogging for his number... guess which one I mastered today? I wonder, if when I rule Puerto Rico, if asking for a guys number would be as scary?

My act of liberation for today: I stopped my unscheduled pilates workout because the reason for continuing wasn't healthy. The reason is another issue; and not up for discussion here.

Now, I'd like to know: what is one act of bravery and/or liberation you did today?