Use freedom responsibly

Dear Editor:

Freedom is a great thing! I have always been a devoted advocate of freedom: Freedom from being a slave, freedom from being raped, freedom from fearing for one's life and the freedom from humiliation.

So freedom is good, but is it always good? Is the freedom to rape, kill and enslave people good? I don't think so! With freedom comes a responsibility, and that responsibility is to a collective of being that we all share this earth with. This collective might be on the other side of the wall of our dorm room, or it might be on the other side of planet Earth. Regardless of where these people are, if we do not use our freedom responsibly, we can hurt others and vice versa.

If certain countries

decide to jump the oil prices, other countries will be hurt economically; if some countries will lower the price of cars, other car manufacturing countries will again be hurt economically. If our neighbors decide to crank up the stereo full volume at 5 a.m. to your least favorite music, and you have a 7:50 a.m. class, then your neighbors are misusing their freedom. If a person decides to yell degrading profanities at your 10-year-old brother or sister, they are misusing their freedom. However, ignorance is bliss. If a person does not know that they are misusing their freedom, the person cannot take responsibility for their action. This brings us to the point of this letter.

wear were made in sweatshops that violate human rights, would you feel responsible in any way for the worker's suffering? If you knew that Nike paid starvation salaries, forced workers to work overtime, prevented elementary and high school students from attending schools, allowed physical and verbal abuse and altogether had no regard for human rights and human dignity, would you be accountable in any way? If you knew that sweatshops existed in Indonesia, Mexico, Kentucky and Los Angeles and that these sweatshops hurt their workers and the workers' families, would you do something about it? If you knew that the same profit drive that leads corporations to use sweatshop labor is also the same drive that is downsizing the jobs within the United States to maintain record profit levels, would you do something about it? Is Nike's freedom to exploit workers a good freedom? And what if the KSU logo you proudly wear was made by human suffering, would you demand that KSU becomes a sweat-free campus?

With knowledge comes responsibility. Open your mind, educate yourself and practice your freedom responsibly!

Oren Casdi

Senior, applied conflict management