Once Upon a Time There Was a Freethinker
It's okay to defend the right to think boldly and courageously.
Author: P. Fernando Pascual, L.C | Source: Catholic.net
In the world of fables, there was a very influential and recognized freethinker. He defended freedom, stimulated reflection, promoted a fraternal and dialogical world.
It happened, however, that some people criticized the freethinker. They accused him of contradictions and sophistry, denounced unclean strategies and ways of proceeding strange to an open and dialogue attitude.
One of the critics taught at a prestigious institution. Since the freethinker said time and time again that he accepted the debate, this teacher assumed that he could express himself without problems to encourage discussion.
However, the professor was called to his university's employment office one day. He was told that the contract was expired, that he would stop teaching at the end of the semester. Our critic asked for explanations, but there were none.
Behind the scenes, the cause of his white-gauntlet was in a phone call. Someone "upstairs" called the institution to demand that professor's fulminant dismissal.
Behind the call was, as it is easy to discover in a fable, the famous freethinker. Because it is okay to defend the right to think boldly and courageously, but to receive criticism does not please anyone, and it is necessary to put order and silence dissidents.
Outside of fables, in the real world, and with sometimes dark and sinister maneuvers, similar things happen. It is only not easy to reveal them, because of the thousand precautions and fears that surround this type of fact; and because there are media controlled by friends of the great leaders.
It causes some sadness to see freedom exalted before the chambers and fruitful dialogue between different positions is promoted, while the back is pursued, with sometimes Machiavellian insidias, who do not align with what the "leader" says.
It happened in a dramatic, almost macroscopic way, during Maoism, with the 100-flower campaign, supposedly aimed at relaunching criticism and then punishing the naive who fell into the trap by expressing their opinions.
It also happens, discreetly, in the Western world, where in theory freedom of thought is exalted, but then effective ways of silencing, isolating, dismissing or harming those who go against dominant thinking are exalted.
Once upon a time there was a freethinker... that wasn't. Outside the traps of those who control and punish dissidents, there have and will be men and women willing to think courageously and risk their lives with the sole desire to spread the truth and defend justice.