Freedom

While walking back from the Minnehaha Falls the other day i thought about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs again. I really like this concept. It seems so right. One version of it i saw recently included “freedom from prejudice” right near the top. This was surprising to me but it’s true, individuals need freedom from prejudice to reach a state of peace and integrity.

I thought about conservatives in this country and about Trump supporters. They claim to be all about freedom. Some even have an appealing message if you look only at their slogans. And some libertarian ideas are attractive to me and to a lot of young people. However, they seem to be selective about freedoms. What about:

• Freedom from gun violence
• The freedom of a woman to choose abortion
• The freedom to study science without religious meddling
• The freedom of opportunity for people who are born without advantages

Conservatives think their way of life is under threat, that people are out to take their guns and their religion. And as a result their horizons are narrowed. And they miss out on freedom from prejudice.