Is the feeling of safety more important than freedom?

Question

Hi I am just looking for some intelligent and reasonable ideas on both sides here. I respectfully request if you are gonna rant to either be somewhat logical or go somewhere else.

Do you believe freedom is more important or is feeling safe and please tell me why.

Answer 1

Many people believe so.

They believe that the illusion of safety is better than living in fear, and that since most people don't exercise their rights anyway, it's better to live without something they don't use (liberty) than to live with something they don't want (fear).

What most fail to realize is that safety is always an illusion. There is always risk. We stand each day a far greater chance of being hurt in a car accident than being blown up by a terrorist. And planes stand a much higher chance of crashing do to mechanical problems then due to terrorist bombs. But do we hide in our houses and beg the government to protect us from cars and planes?

This used to be the land of the free and the home of the brave. Well, we've stopped being brave because we have chosen instead to live in fear. And we have stopped being free because we have chosen to give up our freedoms for an illusion.

I have lived parts of life afraid of what other people would think of me or say to me if they didn't like what I was doing. And I discovered that living in fear is not life. It's just bare existence.

And if we don't live the kind of life that freedom offers to us, if we stop living because of our fear and just start existing, what's the point of trying to protect that empty shadow of a life at all?

Answer 2

As crazy as this might sound, you simply can't have both in the age of terrorism; it's an either/or type thing. Do we create a virtual cocoon of safety around which nothing can move w/o inspection and live our lives in fear that something awful could happen as terrorists would have us do? Or do we live the way we've always lived w/ the same exact risk & remain free? I feel we're being cowardly when I hear hyper-conservative neocons go on about how afraid they are of terrorists attacking us here in the U.S. What happened to the home of the brave? Since when do Americans live in fear of anything? What a travesty. Give me Liberty or give me death! Stay brave & stick to the conviction of a truly free society, America.

Answer 3

"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." --Benjamin Franklin.
The fact is, America has always fallen into this category. We have always traded liberty for security. After all, we have so much liberty in this country. It's almost like we take it for granted. And here is the crux of the matter: When liberty is given to a government to protect you as a citizen, you lose one more ability to limit your government from taking all your other liberties and no longer being your protector, but becoming your enemy. This is why Mr. Franklin says that we will lose both. You cannot trade. It might seem like a trade at first, but it will always turn out to be an absolute hand-over in the end. Study pre-war Germany, Russia, and look at the present state we are in. We're almost there.

Answer 4

No. If there were true freedom, I believe more people would automatically feel safer. It is not our freedoms which spawns hatred toward us from other countries, it's our governments demeanor in assuring us a safer place to live.

This alleged war on terrorism is considered by most Americans to be a load of lies. Of course people in other countries believe this too. There are freedoms here that have allowed terrorists to enter our country in the first place, but I believe that if the government would be more concerned about our safety here in our own homeland, that would change.

We already have laws in place to ensure our safety but the government has spread our manpower too thin by sending our troops and other agencies overseas. Besides, we all know that the more our laws remain lax, the more certain politicians can rearrange the status quo to their benefit.

Government has changed from being for the people to being for itself and the people that sit in Washington.

I choose freedom over alleged safety issues any day.

Answer 5

I kind of agree with the first answer that both are illusions. Any kind of governement in any society run things the way they want to. They always have control.

I would say that freedom was more important to me though. If feeling safe meant having soldiers patrol my neighborhoods and tell me what to do and where to go, that would drive me nuts. I'd rather have the freedom to protect my family as I see fit.

Answer 6

The US stands for freedom, freedom is of paramount importance to US citizens. In ordere to feel safe, we must be willling to fight for freedom and sacrifice.

Answer 7

Freedom is more important. We can create our own safety by exercising the 2nd amendment.

Answer 8

It would depend on the freedom. I don't feel it necessary for me to have the freedom to call the Middle-East without be listened to. They could listen to me talk about my life to someone in a foreign country if they thought it would save someone's life. I feel they should not tap phones that are 100% domestic without a warrant, which I believe has not been claimed anyway.

Answer 9

both are important,,,,
but i think freedom on the first place,,,,(first among equal)
bcoz it's the highest moral value of human being,,,,
to feel save, we have to be free to choose, to live without any strain,,,just to be what we wanted to be,,,,

Answer 10

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety"
Ben Franklin