August 2024

August Thought of the Month

"You gotta write your own hymms or they ain't worth singing."

~ Ray Bradbury from The Day it Rained Forever

Rod Serling, famous for his series, The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery, recognized the evil of stifling individuality. He has multiple episodes in both shows depicting how wrong conformity can be, even if wrapped in an appealing package. Dictator characters praise and enforce conformity, anyone who is different is either forced to comply or cast out, even killed. That is the death of a society.

When independent will and thought are crushed, creativity and invention aren't far behind. These cannot thrive when the human spirit is suppressed. Where people are only permitted to act and think a certain way, it shuts off their ability to find avenues to innovations. Intellectual property theft is a worldwide problem because nations that have killed it's citizens' ability to think freely have to get new advancements from somewhere else.

History teaches us that a suppressed society is doomed to collapse. Its systems become unsustainable and collapse or its citizens revolt when the last straw falls. It's why people fight for independence and flee to democratic countries.

No one wants to be hobbled by what others decide we can have. We all crave the ability to achieve our own potential without restriction. We must not let others cripple our spirits. We must all raise our voices so everyone can sing their own songs.

[Thought and image design by Elaine C. Oldham]