Freedom Is Overrated

“The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.” by H.L. Mencken. I do agree with what H.L. Mencken is saying that an average man does want to be safe but I would also have to disagree. People need to feel as if they are free at a certain extent. Countries tend to have cults and gang related violence. This is probably how dictatorship had come about and how other people would argue that as Americans , we don’t care much for our freedom.

Freedom or the lack of has always been important in America today and in American history. My definition of freedom is the right and ability to do or say what you want, within reason. There should be laws to stop people from doing or saying something that will harm others, but these laws must treat everyone as equals. And freedom means not being enslaved to someone else. Freedom is the right to go out and make your own choices. America has been shaped not only by freedom itself, but also the lack of freedom that some people did not get to experience.

As American essayist and social critic H.L. Mencken wrote, “The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.” To be free is to have the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without restraint. This type of freedom can be offered in many places whether it be home, school, or work. Safety is the condition of being protected from or unlikely to because risk, danger, or injury. Safety should be seen as an advantage to have because it’s never truly guaranteed. Most people claim they are proud of the freedoms their nations offer, though many people manifest the willingness to give up these freedoms to secure personal safety.

An American essayist, H.L. Mencken stated, “The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants be safe”. I disagree with this statement because an “average man” wants to live. In order to live you must have two necessities; freedom and safety. I believe neither is more important than one another because being free gives you the opportunity to a safe nation, and a safe nation allows you to be free. You cannot live a life without exploring and growing because that would not be considered living. On the other hand, you cannot expect to be free without safety around you.

Freedom is defined as the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement. It is the power to determine action without restraint and the exemption from external control, interference, and regulation. Americans, these days, commonly regard their society as the freest and the best in the world. Their understanding of freedom has been shaped and based upon the founding fathers’ belief that all people are equal and that the role of the government is to protect each person’s basic “inalienable” rights. The United States Constitution’s Bill of Rights assures individual rights including freedom of speech, press, and religion. America has changed dramatically from the country our founding fathers discovered. Some could even argue that

America was built on freedom. Freedom to speak, freedom to choose, freedom to worship, and freedom to do just about anything you want within the law. America’s law was designed to protect and preserve these freedoms. The reason the United States of America came to exist was because the colonists fled Great Britain to get back the freedoms that were taken away from them by the Monarchy. In countries where Monarchies and Dictatorships rule, there is little if any freedom to speak of. Citizens of these countries are persecuted or even killed if they attempt to exercise any of the basic freedoms. In these countries there is no free speech, no right to choose government, no right to express religion, no right to own

Many laws and rights exist in the U.S.A. to keep people free and safe in this country. Individual rights exist to give people his or her freedoms, while that same freedom can allow people to take advantage of their freedoms. Freedom is the item that keeps the people of this country happy. People feel secure in what they are doing during their everyday lives. Public order is in place to keep society as a whole safe from misdeeds. Public order is also a system in place that restricts some freedoms that people may want. Freedoms are the ideals in life that everyone can take advantage of no matter who they are.

It is true our society must strive to bring good to as many people as possible; yet it is unfair to restrict freedom if failed to do so. For example, if someone tries to start a city clean up because of the amount of littering that is made. Is it really under their control if more people go out and liter? Should they be the ones punished? Of course not, a restriction in freedom violates our first amendment and cannot be enforced. It's true that freedom is the most valuable thing that us Americans have and sometimes restricting it may help but make a person feel like they're being held back from doing something. With this, people may get a sense of wanting to rebel. Ultimately, this can lead to problems with the law. This however is very unpredictable

America is the home the of free and brave, but how much freedom can someone have? If you ask someone what is freedom? The answer you’ll receive will probably be different from your own. The word freedom can be defined in many ways by different people. Just like any other opinion, no one thinks alike. Some people now in America feel that they’re free. On the contrary, there are individuals that can surely tell you that they don’t have rights that others have due to a technicality. In the past, there has been a history of brave people who stand up to the government to receive the rightful freedom that belongs to them and others. Some of those individuals shared similar qualities but also had their differences as well. The changes that some of those individuals left improved the daily lifestyles of the community in general. Their acts weren’t approved by most of the government. Although the actions brought improvement to society to receive rightful freedom for all it took some time to accept the balance of freedom and social & civic responsibilities.

The power or right to act, speak or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. A word created by man to escape the bonds of tyranny to express the idea of what it means to persist one's own ambitions. Freedom. Freedom is not the absence of confinement but the will to achieve freedom when imprisoned. After carefully concluding the reading done over this semester one is able to clearly understand the confinement these early Americans felt and their decision to achieve a form of freedom. Freedom has always existed but it is the history of this nation that will define what actions freedom takes.

America is a nation founded on freedom, and at times that freedom will get tested, however the people of this great country always make tough decisions that will influence and shape the future of our society. That is why the U.S. Constitution was put in place it is a stable of change, because the founders knew nothing in the world is completely perfect, yet with time things will change and the people must adapt to the times. The preamble introduces the constitution, and states that the government comes from the people. Its general purposes are in order to form a more perfect union we have to “Establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” Its purpose is to make a good government and good laws, have peace in our homes, national security, healthy communities, and freedom to ourselves, families and friends. The people are the ones who must choose the elected officials and leaders who enforce this constitution, they have all the power in the world, because the Constitution allows them to pursue their happiness. As Benjamin Franklin once said “The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.” The Constitution does not give you rights, because the founders considered your rights to be "God-given" or "natural rights" you are born with all your rights. What the Constitution does, however, is protect your

America is known as home of the free, though it wasn’t always like this. Before the year 1791 america was ruled by the british king was being abusive in his ruling. In 1776 America had pulled away from the ruling and became independent. To insure that they would never have to go through problems like that again they made the ‘Bill of Rights’ which describes each freedoms a person has. We have the mistreatment of the british to thank for our right of privacy and allowed us to have a non oppressive government.

Having individual freedoms is a huge part of the Constitution. These rights are specifically named in the bill of rights. Some of them include the right to own a gun, right to free speech, and more. It is an American citizen’s civic and legal duty to uphold these rights. Government of all levels support these rights with examples like a suspect’s Miranda rights

Americans have the fond of saying "It's a free country" but for it to be a free country it has it's gains and losses. Our so called free country has its costs. In order for it to be "free" most of our men go into war and fight for our freedom. Some of its gains is the Bill of Rights. Freedom isn't completely free.

H.L. Mencken, a prominent American essayist and social critic, said that people are better off being safe than being free. People do not want to have their freedom if they are not safe. The validity of this quote is one of great debate between people of our time. It is clear that it is a fair tradeoff to live in a safe society with little freedom, and it is more fair than having to live in a society with no safety and many freedom.