on my mind: freedom

Preamble to the ramble…

First off, in no way do my opinions and what I write here reflect the stance of the US government or the Peace Corps. These are mine, and mine alone.  I won’t even say that my dear husband, David, with whom I share this blog, completely agrees with everything I write.  Secondly, I’m writing given my observations of Romania (as an American woman) and given my limited knowledge of its history.  I tend to ask Romanians I know a lot of questions about their personal experiences (present and past), but I’m still learning stories. I humbly submit that I do not know it all.  Finally, if you aren’t in mood for some opinions and reflections from yours truly on the current times, then kindly move on.

Ramble…

In my aspiration statement to join the Peace Corps, I wrote that I hoped my Peace Corps service would make me a more grateful American citizen and better global citizen.  And although I’m not even halfway through my journey, I can say that my service has made me more grateful than I could imagine but simultaneously it has made me increasingly frustrated at the lack of gratefulness of my fellow Americans.

I write this post from Romania, a country where 20 years ago, there was no freedom, no choice, no autonomy.  None.  There were rules about everything — breadlines, work, facial hair, dress, forced “volunteerism,” music, books, travel, property, health, family life — EVERYTHING.  Every aspect of daily life was controlled and regulated.  What the government said was “true.”   The smallest infraction or even the whiff of something off (as reported by neighbors) could land a person in jail.   To be different, to be outside (above or below) the norm often led to incarceration. Thinking wasn’t endured; following was expected. There was no freedom of speech, of press, of religion.

And we Americans are whining about how moderate healthcare reform takes away our freedom because it limits the choice of some while giving options to many? What do we really know about not having freedom?  Since when did more choice equate to more freedom?  (Because, studies show it doesn’t equate.) We’re complaining about insuring our bodies when most of us are required by law to insure our cars? Really?

And to top it all off, we have talking heads threatening  that “this” is the start to communism, socialism, tyranny (insert slippery slope argument) and yet, I can bet they’ve never  felt or observed first-hand the aftermath of any of those ideologies.   I’m angered when I hear it because I feel that such hyperbolic rhetoric demeans the real experiences of generations of Romanians (and others) who survived, tolerated, and then revolted against real tyranny and actual communism.

While the current topic is healthcare, whatever the next talking point/debate, I can almost guarantee that it will be said that our freedom is in jeopardy.  But living here, where I see the effects of communism and yet where I’ve observed that an influx of choice and capitalism hasn’t fixed the downtrodden spirits of people,  I’m more cognizant of and grateful for what true freedom is for me (as I won’t assume that the world concurs with me).  It doesn’t come down to number of choices I have or the money in my pocket.  Bottom line is quality of life for my neighbors and me — more joy and less worry, more inclusion and less exclusion, more building up and less tearing down, more support, less loneliness.  And in terms of healthcare, more haves and less have-nots.

It’s a dream, for sure.  And it’s a lot of work.   Hopefully, we’re a teeny bit closer today than we were yesterday.