Freedom of Choice

Everybody wants freedom. Few understand it fully, perhaps myself included.

Many people think that freedom is doing whatever you want to do. Just think what the world would be like if everybody followed this principle.

A few months ago, there was a battle over excessive sound in St. Marys. A garage band would practise almost every Sunday afternoon for up to seven hours. Sometimes there would be mid-week sessions.

The problem was that there was no noise bylaw against this. The band members were right when they said that they were not breaking any law. They also mentioned that they were exercising their freedom.

This is where I think they didn’t understand true freedom.

As much as they might have the right to play music as loud as they want as long as it is not against the law, don’t the residents of the neighbourhood have the same freedom not to listen to it?

A few people around town said the solution was for local residents to leave their homes for a few hours. Why couldn’t the band find another place to practise?

Although I’m never seen this written anywhere, here is my definition of true freedom. It is the ability of individuals to do as they please without infringing on the freedom of others.

In this case, the band members could have played as loud as they wanted as long as the noise didn’t exit the garage or the neighbours had the right to tell them to stop.

Just like in St. Marys, I’m sure many may think of arguments against my words. One of my favourites was that Elvis would never had made it had there been a noise bylaw.

However, we now have smoking bylaws all over Ontario. People can smoke as long as it doesn’t affect others.

I have no problem with allowing motorcycle riders to go without helmets as long as the public doesn’t have to pay for the hospital bills when they smash their brains.

I’m sure you know of somebody who tears others or good ideas down with their words while expressing their right to have freedom of speech. When confronted by these types, I have been known to oppose them. When they tell me that they are only exercising their right, I tell them that my telling them to keep quiet is exercising my right of freedom of speech, too.

It all comes down to this for me. With true freedom comes responsibility. If freedom is good, then its fruit should be good also. It should make the world a better place.