A sceptic's guide to the universe: The essence of freedom and the nature of free will – Part IBy Charlotte B. Cerminaro
Some of the most highly evolved ideas and benevolent ideologies known to man have also been the locus of much heated debate and protracted violence throughout history. These aren't just noble philosophies for intellectual banter, relevant only in the halls of academia; they hold an innate power to influence human thought and action, they have altered the course of our development. Civilizations have been built upon the foundations of ideas that cannot be measured or fully understood but they are recognized as transcendent universal truths. Those who wish to protect liberty continually study and guard these principles while those who desire power and control over others have made it their life's work to dismantle, even destroy these same principles. And for millennia, this has been the most expedient way to seize liberty and thus sway others' free will in every way imaginable. The Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights contain the words our founding fathers chose, in their wisdom, to outline the fundamentals of law, justice and freedom that were not their own. The most famously penned words: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." These were not new ideas; they are the reclamation of a law that was already given and established for the benefit of humankind. That most human governments have chosen to ignore this law–with chronically disastrous consequences for doing so–the founding fathers' reasoning was heavily considered and quite sound. In order to "secure the blessings of liberty" our Constitutional framers knew that basic human freedom must be protected; it is ordained by our Creator. Taking away one person's freedom of speech because another person (or group) is offended by their words is not liberty. It is tyranny. Legislating draconian mandates, even if intended for the "greater good", is not liberty. It is tyranny. Rioting, looting, injuring other people then excusing one's actions (and expecting others to do the same) by claiming membership in a historically marginalized group, is not liberty, it is license. In a free society, the individual revokes their freedom the very moment they choose to use their liberty as a license to infringe upon or take another's liberty. They are in the hands of the law and whatever means the law has been granted for its enforcement, and though the laws of the land might be fair, they are also just. Touching upon the subtlety surrounding free will is rarely simple, and it presents even greater difficulty where the law is concerned. There are instances in which the free will of an otherwise rational human being is heavily influenced or compromised. The example, 'shouting "fire!" in a crowded theater' is one such instance because groupthink is notoriously irrational; with panic added in, people will endanger themselves and others. Heavy intoxication impairs judgment and free will, however, repeatedly driving a vehicle while intoxicated is a felony. Even if there's been no accident yet, driving under the influence is a clear endangerment to life and limb. When people are ill, frightened, threatened, coerced or under duress, their free will is more easily influenced. Large portions of the population are unaware of how powerful the manipulations in politics, fake news, fake science, government incentives and medical coercion. Many completely reasonable people are now fully convinced that they must have yet another COVID-19 vaccination when the first 3 haven't alleviated the problem or their fears. They have been told that they must do this in order to be safe; or to travel, work, or see their loved ones. It is not an overstatement to say chronic coercion, lack of transparency, media propaganda and overt governmental malfeasance have endangered the critical thinking and free will of billions of humans. There are laws in place that are designed to protect people from institutionalized coercion and mass disinformation; as with all laws they require enforcement and some degree of oversight. Through informed consent laws, patients are legally entitled to all relevant information regarding the risks and benefits of medical treatments or procedures. Without full disclosure of information, they cannot be forced to give their consent. Through the creation of government loopholes, vaccine manufacturers are the only entities that cannot be held accountable for damages caused by their products, even when damages can be directly proven and the product has known adverse effects. This fact has been heavily downplayed, though recent events have placed it in a category of utmost importance. A recent lawsuit filed against the FDA through the FOIA by a highly respected group of physicians and researchers has finally forced a degree of transparency. Throughout the pandemic, calls for such transparency by the people, the government, healthcare providers, etc., have been answered by highly publicized promises of "complete transparency" by Pfizer and Moderna spokespersons and by the FDA. Initially the FDA requested that the information and data they used to determine approval of the Pfizer mRNA vaccine be released to the public in the year 2096. This is not a typo. In 75 years, those who received vaccines will not be around to benefit from this "transparency". Federal judges denied the FDA's request and reminded their spokesman that they only needed 108 days to review the 430,000 pages of data from Pfizer before granting approval–they do not need, nor do they have the right to ask, for 75 years before releasing data fully disclosing all relevant information needed for the consent that has already been given. If a billion people have been vaccine mandated to keep their jobs, they have every right to all known risks and effects. With the keys of bureaucratic power handed to tightly closed governing groups that answer to
no one, the essence of freedom has been stolen in broad daylight. Heavily coerced by this
bureaucracy and under duress, our ability to govern ourselves, protect our well-being and to
make effective decisions for our future are limited. Free will has been compromised–from
powerful systemic coercion, manipulation and ongoing disinformation–the core symptom of a
liberty stolen and sold to the highest bidder many times over. It remains to be seen if our
civilization can recover from these most blatant violations of basic human rights. Charlotte B. Cerminaro is a Juilliard-trained classical musician and recording artist. In her free time she enjoys writing and regularly contributes to the Enter Stage Right journal and she attained a Bachelor's Degree in Molecular Biology.
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