TheRiverWanders
The River Wanders...But it is never really lost.
Homepage: http://twitter.com/TheRiverWanders
Posts by TheRiverWanders
BEING LOST ISN’T A CRIME—BY @TheRiverWanders
May 31st
| Freedom can mean different things to different people and my nom de plume, The River Wanders, is closely connected to my interpretation of the concept. Rivers use the power of gravity to wander: pooling into wide expanses, twisting into slow curves, or carving deep chasms through solid rock. My life is like a river powered with the energy of my interests and abundant opportunity; combined, they create new adventures for me to experience. Wandering is a luxury that symbolizes movement based on curiosity, appreciation, and joie de vivre. However, a coherent life is more than wandering and freedom is more than the absence of restraint. What, then, makes us free? Freedom is, at its most basic level, the ability to act with independence based upon informed choice. To make an informed choice, we first need to be aware of something in order to gather information about it. Next, we analyze that information to determine what kind of experience we wish to have, and lastly, we act on that analysis. Our collective choices carve out our uniqueness as individuals and if society denies us our liberty—justly or unjustly—our inherent sense of self erodes. We are diminished. |  Wandering River If I’m not aware of a boundary, I’ve made no specific decision to cross it, I’ve committed no crime. I am lost. Nothing more insidious than that. Being lost isn’t a crime. |
| These aspects of freedom relate directly to Sarah Shourd, Shane Bauer, and Josh Fattal in two key ways. First, society expects us to behave within certain limits; we have laws, boundaries, and expectations imposed upon us to maintain order and safety. We must first be aware of those limitations in order to analyze them and act accordingly. Sarah, Shane, and Josh were not aware of the border they may have crossed and therefore did not have the necessary information to analyze their situation and take appropriate action. They did not exercise choice or free will: Sarah, Shane, and Josh wandered and got lost. Second, with respect to society’s response to their wandering—stripping Sarah, Shane and Josh of their liberty, their dignity and their humanity—is indeed a harsh punishment for an accident in which no harm was meant and no harm was done. Being lost isn’t a crime. | |
