Freedom of expression, also known as freedom of speech, refers to the proposition that backups the liberty of a person or a community to voice out their thoughts and opinions without the fear of judgment, response, censorship, and legal penalty. This also includes the freedom of searching, receiving, and sharing of data, thoughts, and ideas with the use of different instruments or mediums. However, this particular human right is often taken for granted due to different factors — such as fright, guilt, and terror.
Because the world is full of both positive and negative things, it cannot be denied that struggles and happiness will overwhelm you. The weight of the things will either make or break you. However, you can always opt to use your freedom to express your feelings towards your problems and even towards the societal and political issues in the world. You probably are wondering how important the liberty of expression is in one’s life. Hence, provided below are the aspects that will show you how significant this right is.
It is a human right that is ought to be enjoyed by everyone
What makes living more bearable is the fact that you can enjoy your rights without fearing for your life, which is the best thing that freedom of expression is granting the public. It doesn’t choose who gets to express, for it is the right of everyone who is living and thriving in this cruel world. However, with a massive amount of power comes a huge weight of responsibility. That is why it is important for you to keep safe and nurture this right. The need to become sensitive and aware of everything around you will definitely spring up since it is among the responsibility attached to this right.
It makes people feel free and empowered
Being able to speak up is one of the things that make people empowered, free, and confident. You never know how much self-esteem that a simple sharing of ideas can ignite from people. Also, you never know how much baggage is being unloaded the moment you let everyone around you express themselves. There are also moments that make individuals feel empowered by simply talking to one another, sharing their tales of struggles, courage, pain, and joy. A great example of this is the book by Carol Wilson-Mack titled Patchwork: Conversations Between Generations, which provided challenging stories of patchwork, the art of patchwork, and the personal tales of women in the countryside of Bamberg, South Carolina during 1939-1959.
The more people express, regardless of the method of expression, the more they feel that their feelings are valid and that their existence is worthy. Letting their voices be heard and to partake in what’s going on in the world as of the moment is a wonderful way of helping the society and themselves to create changes — big or small.
It helps those that feel voiceless
No one in this world likes being manipulated, oppressed, and wronged. There is also nobody that takes joy in being offended and treated unequally. Everyone must enjoy their rights for there is no such thing as “high” and “low” in society. When you shove your differences aside, from your physical to social statuses, you can really see how similar every person is.
There are a lot of people who felt and are still feeling voiceless. Some of them are deprived of their basic human rights. But once they get to know how big of impact freedom of expression can create, they will start to feel the power given to them. Hence, this privilege will help those deprived to speak up to fight for themselves and their right in different ways of expression using different amazing mediums.