Posted by EternalVigilance on 01/19/10

C4L Regional Conference was a place for discussions, questions, and speeches about the "idea" of freedom, which brought us all together. It also included opportunities to share our reasons for being personally enamoured with that idea, and how we each choose to express that love of freedom in our own lives.

In other words we all attracted to the "what", and find unity and action in the "what",  but unfortunately for some, they felt uneasy, angry or suspicious about the "why".

You see, asking "why", or considering "why" presumes a purpose. A purpose presumes the existence of axioms that set your goals, govern your behavior, and allow for self evaluation that attempt to explain the "why".

But where we could feel the emotions in the pit of our stomachs churning during each discussion, question, or speech was about the personal statements about the origin and location of those axioms: Generally speaking, either coming from inside a personal "you", or coming from outside from a personal "God".

Turns out that the conference should have had been subtitled "A Conference About What Freedom Is, Which Makes Us Happy, But Not a Conference for Why Freedom Is, Because That Will Makes Us Mad."

Freedom, like a bright light bulb illuminating a porch on a summer evening, will attract a variety of insects to it.

From our perspective as human observers we can use this metaphor to conclude that, without ever having met each other previously, it's obvious these insects have all reached the same conclusion that the light on that porch is something they absolutely must reach.

They may not understand, or even need to understand that it's just a lightbulb, and not the natural light shining from the canopy of heaven, be it the stars above, the sun, or the moon.

Nor that it wasn't put there to attract them specifically, by name or by personality type, but to attract all those seeking (back again to our perspective as observers) freedom, which is our light.

Why you believe in freedom, and what you intend to do with it, is the equivalent of realizing at this conference that identical moths (just like you) have not congregated around the light bulb, but that other species of moths are there with you (not quite like you).

And because some say things during discussions, questions and speeches (from your personal perspective) that remind you of blood sucking mosquitoes, around your light bulb, this "why" thing is really chapping your hide.

And so, I say, you might as well reach inside the house and turn off the porch light, because if you (of all people to do it!) are going to ignore what unifies you, what brought you together, what strengthens you, and what is going to make you work together to light the world, as you all flutter around your this idea, your this freedom, and your this light, because you don't like someone else's "why", then I'm sorry to say, you have no idea, no clue whatsoever, how to free anyone, much less yourself.

Millions of different "whys" around your light bulb - how dare they. Just toss the miracle of all of you showing up in the same place out the window because you were offended. That doesn't sound very mature, or very smart.

Could this be why children throwing tantrums, or juveniles posturing could be interpreted as potential adults who have yet to learn that true freedom begins with the constructive excercise of self control, the discipline of self knowledge, and the benefit of thinking critically?

One does not need the tyranny of a despot outside of you depriving you of freedom, if there is already a tyrant within you depriving you of its understanding and it's fruits.

The enemies of freedom are aware of this tyrant within. That incapacity, which outlines the gaps in your understanding, to introduce division. And when you don't think they are doing it to you from the outside, you are doing it to yourself to the detriment of all from within yourself.

Is it therefore possible to arrive at the same mature and informed conclusion that human freedom is self evident, whether one obtains the germ of that idea and forms that conviction from one's own reason, or from a "God"?

If you answer yes, then there is hope that you will not ignore or switch off the light that attracted us all to the fun, exciting porch that was the Sheraton, Atlanta. You have arrived at a place in your heart and mind where it finally hits you that it doesn't matter which seed plants the tree of freedom in someone else.

As long as the fruit it bears does not lead to freedom for it's own sake, as a child in rebellion pursues, but to freedom that perpetuates the self-evident miracle of life (which is one and the same as freedom), it doesn't matter if your neighbor sees the fingerprints of God on the fruit, or if you see your own.*

My perspective, and I think I'm permitted to express it here, is that they are one and the same. The latter being the image of the former.

If you should answer no, then write me, because keeping you is more important than losing you.

*This outlines the "how".

Posted 01/19/10 Ike Hall Clarkston, GA

Thank you for this, EternalVigilance. Several folks at the conference were indeed offended by other people's "whys". But that's missing the point. Indeed, it could be a great jumping-off point for a discussion of the "whys" of others, so that there can be a greater understanding. That lack of understanding is what leads to personal and cultural strife.

Posted 01/19/10 nadams Atlanta, GA

Don't forget the other subtitle to the conference: "A Practical Guide to Kicking Politicians' Arses" :)

Posted 01/19/10 nadams Atlanta, GA

Don't forget the other subtitle to the conference: "A Practical Guide to Kicking Politicians' Arses (for Liberty)" :)

Posted 01/20/10 Deb Wells Peoria, AZ

What a great blog post. I read it twice, just because I really, really like it! Please write more! I'm adding you as a favorite. :)

Posted 01/20/10 DaveHeart Conyers, GA

I agree, wholeheartedly, with this blog. Thanks to all who made C4L a beacon of light. May we keep the light shining bright forever!

Posted 01/20/10 EternalVigilance Decatur, GA

Thank you very for the kind remarks. Please consider re-posting my post at kindred websites, or emailing to people you know within the C4L who need to read this as I suspect it needs to be heard far and wide within the ranks of the C4L before suspicion and division makes further headway over this avoidable misunderstanding.