Musings: Freedom and the Pathway There

What is interesting is that most of these uprisings are caused by the upwardly mobile, middle-class young people. They are frustrated with authoritarian government and the greed and avarice that often drives much of the political process in these restless communities. Young people are being ignored and in many countries 50 percent of the youth are unemployed.Another revolution in Egypt in a mere 27 months after the first is a clear indication that modern government in many countries has failed to create the right opportunities for the people to succeed, not only in the economic realm but also in the endeavor to enjoy freedom and peace. The middle-class is typically responsible in leading this unrest, as they bring attention to the importance of not surrendering the fundamental needs of society.When one is living on the poverty line one is very consumed with making a basic living and does not have much time to reflect on the many issues that create freedom and peace. If you are super wealthy then these up and downs in the economy do not impact you directly and often you have carved out a sanctuary of well-being, peace and freedom.

However – if you are the middle class (which is most of us) – you are one who must lead the way. We pay most of the taxes, we are the largest of all the consumers, and often we care most about our country and the world. I salute the middle-class in those countries that are willing to stand up to unfair authoritarian, greedy and violent regimes. I predict we may see more of that in the ensuing future not just in the Arab Spring but in Europe, Asia and yes here in the United States! There is no doubt that our freedom and peace is being challenged by the times we live in as further evidenced by the whistle-blower Edward Snowden. There is much controversy about whether he is hero or a criminal.

In these and all cases, you must make your own judgment, but there is an important need for us to have a national debate on how we not only preserve but enhance our freedom. If truth be known we are going backwards in a direction where our freedoms will continue to be eroded. It is important that we – the shrinking middle-class – rise up and lead this conversation.

There is much work to be done to protect our freedom, and it starts by creating better leaders. I believe these leaders – with a full understanding that we are here to serve – will fully embody and practice the principles of goodwill, trust, empathy, compassion, forgiveness and most importantly peace-making. These leaders will understand how to turn conflict into love and unity, and these leaders will make decisions that are in the highest good for themselves, others, humanity and the planet. These leaders do exist in our fold, but they are not in Congress or in the political fabric of most countries. We must ask why.

Let us not take our freedom and peace for granted – let us take a stand to start a conversation and a movement to not only preserve our freedom but to enhance it. Let us inspire leaders who can get us there. It is my belief it will come out of the young middle-class path-blazers!

That may be you.