On Freedom

When we choose not to recognize other bodies as human, we create specific social situations, which we then define as the state of nature.

The countries where people tend to think of freedom as freedom to are doing better by our own measures, which tend to focus on freedom from.

We say that a symbol stands for something, but all too often a symbol merely stands in for something. The American flag is supposed to stand for freedom, but it can very easily stand in for freedom. In singing the anthem, we treat its values as permanent, or as if they were enacted by song. But praise is not practice.