Human freedom involves our capacity to pause, to choose the one response toward which we wish to throw our weight.
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Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
quote by Viktor E. Frankl

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Universal Freedom Is......
Freedom from hunger and freedom from pain
freedom from loss and so freedom from gain.
Freedom to give and freedom to share
freedom from want and that of despair.
Freedom to think and freedom to know
freedom to achieve and freedom to grow.
Freedom from bondage and freedom of liberation
freedom from ignorance and any unknown situation.
Freedom to come and freedom to leave
freedom to stay and freedom to conceive.
Freedom from struggle and freedom of ease
freedom to enjoy and the capacity to please.
Freedom from failure and freedom of success
freedom from denial and freedom of access.
Freedom from illusion and freedom of reality
freedom to become what we are in actuality.
Freedom to live and freedom to die
freedom to laugh and freedom to cry.
Freedom to speak and freedom to listen
freedom to act based on a wise decision.
Freedom from hate and freedom of love
freedom of below and freedom of above.
Freedom of the past and freedom of the present
freedom of the future and what it can represent.
Freedom from war and freedom of peace
freedom to begin and freedom to cease.
Freedom from sickness and freedom of health
freedom from poverty and mishandled wealth.
Freedom from wrong and freedom being right
freedom of the day and freedom of the night.
Freedom to choose and freedom to reject
freedom to imagine what there is to expect.
Freedom from lust and freedom from greed
freedom from anger and freedom from breed.
Freedom from jealousy and freedom from pride
freedom from within and freedom from outside.
Freedom of always not having anything to hide.
Freedom from space and also freedom from time
freedom from attachment and freedom from crime
Freedom to work and freedom to play
freedom to believe and freedom to pray.
Freedom to experience a rebirth someday.
Freedom from the body and freedom from the mind
freedom from the ego and freedom from being blind.
Freedom of transcendence being of the spiritual kind.
Universal freedom is eternal and infinite bliss
we should all therefore be able to realise this.
poem by George Krokos

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Freedom, then, lies only in our innate human capacity to choose between different sorts of bondage, bondage to desire or self esteem, or bondage to the light that lightens all our lives.
quote by Sri Madhava

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Not Only Human
Morning is almost here - let it wait
I just want to lie here awhile, tempting fate
I dont think I could breathe now with you gone
But its not weakness its just something Ive begun
Maybe theres a light thats always on
Maybe were not only human, maybe
Maybe theres a light thats always on
And were not only human
When youre sleeping your ceramic
Youre surrounded by little stars
Every shimmer is a searchlight
Every planet is ours
Change the street change the decade
Still the longings left inside
But why am I too small to carry you?
Why does twilight make me cry?
Maybe theres a light thats always on
Maybe were not only human, maybe
Maybe theres a light thats always on
And were not only human
When all is said and done
When all the weight is gone
When all is said and done
When all the weight is gone
Were not only human
Life is something set to music
I can hear it when Im sad
Theres a chord in every muscle
Every kiss you ever had
Theres a power when youre near me
In our heads or in our bones
I know nothing but Im guessing
When we die were not alone
Maybe theres a light thats always on
Maybe were not only human, maybe
Maybe theres a light thats always on
And were not only human
When all is said and done
When all the weight is gone
When all is said and done
When all the weight is gone
Were not only human
Not only human
Not only human
Not only human
Not only, yeah, human.
No, human, human.
Human.
song performed by by Heather Nova

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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You sit up there, and you see the whole gamut of human nature. Even if the case being argued involves only a little fellow and $50, it involves justice. That's what is important.
quote by Earl Warren

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I've seen too much hate to want to hate, myself, and every time I see it, I say to myself, hate is too great a burden to bear. Somehow we must be able to stand up against our most bitter opponents and say: "We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering. We will meet your physical force with soul force. Do to us what you will and we will still love you.... But be assured that we'll wear you down by our capacity to suffer, and one day we will win our freedom. We will not only win freedom for ourselves; we will appeal to your heart and conscience that we will win you in the process, and our victory will be a double victory".
Martin Luther King in A Christmas Sermon for Peace, December 24, 1967

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Freedom is man's capacity to take a hand in his own development. It is our capacity to mold ourselves.
History Will Teach Us Nothing
If we seek solace in the prisons of the distant past
Security in human systems were told will always always last
Emotions are the sail and blind faith is the mast
Without a breath of real freedom were getting nowhere fast
If God is dead and an actor plays his part
His words of fear will find their way to a place in your heart
Without the voice of reason every faith is its own curse
Without freedom from the past things can only get worse
Sooner or later just like the world first day
Sooner or later we learn to throw the past away
Sooner or later just like the world first day
Sooner or later we learn to throw the past away
Sooner or later we learn to throw the past away
History will teach us nothing
History will teach us nothing
Our written history is a catalogue of crime
The sordid and the powerful, the architects of time
The mother of invention, the oppression of the mild
The constant fear of scarcity, aggression as its child
Sooner or later
Sooner or later
Sooner or later
Sooner or later
Convince an enemy, convince him that hes wrong
Is to win a bloodless battle where victory is long
A simple act of faith
In reason over might
To blow up his children will only prove him right
History will teach us nothing
Sooner or later the world first day
Sooner or later we learn to throw the past away
Sooner or later the world first day
Sooner or later we learn to throw the past away
Sooner or later we learn to throw the past away
History will teach us nothing
History will teach us nothing
Know you human rights
Be what you come here for
Know your human rights
Be what you come here for
Know your human rights
Be what you come here for
Know your human rights
Be what you come here for
song performed by by Sting

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Unlimited Capacity For Love
The ends not in sight, its gone way too far,
This could turn our another unwinning war,
It wasnt inherited, certainly not a joke,
So many human hearts, hanging in hope,
Unlimited capacity for love,
Unlimited capacity for love.
And now I must add another to love in my life,
Its one thing to say, to do is another,
If Im capable of adapting without pressured expense,
In a schizoid society in a classic moral sense,
Unlimited capacity for love,
Umlimited capacity for love.
How young I am now, stop counting the weeks,
Were safe from the vois, where theyre still counting sheep,
Put the phone to the floor, youll hear my heart beat,
Some people get married, but Ill never chat,
Unlimited capacity for love,
Unlimited capacity for love.
The ends not in sight, its gone way too far,
This could turn our another unwinning war,
It wasnt inherited, certainly not a joke,
So many human hearts, hanging in hope,
Unlimited capacity for love. (repeat, fade)
song performed by by Grace Jones

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Distance, Or Connection?
it is time to throw the damned tea into the harbor again!
every thought we have, every feeling we have,
every word we speak, every action we do...
either creates distance between human beings,
or creates a connection!
distance equals death,
connection equals life!
i am sick and tired of the bullshit that says:
we are right and they are wrong,
we are good and they are evil.
our religion is right, and theirs is wrong.
we're going to heaven, they're going to hell...
a damned lie!
every human being deserves the right to be human.
every human being deserves the right to love, and be loved.
every human being deserves the dignity of equality.
every human being deserves the right to work,
to have shelter, to be fed, to dream!
every human being deserves to be free!
i choose connection!
if you choose distance, walk away.
my religion is human interaction.
poem by Eric Cockrell

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry is own weight, this is a frightening prospect.
quote by Eleanor Roosevelt

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Choose
I choose focus
I choose freedom
to be happy, to have fun
to have a wonderful life
to be young, light and bright
I choose health, wealth
lands, treasures
I choose to trust, love
commitment, faith,
I choose to enjoy life
I choose the lord
I choose...
poem by Johnny Walks

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Freedom is yours
Take a look at your life
Round it up from right to left
left to right
left I might
Never look back
Pull up your pride
attack at its head
bring up the fight
Fight for the freedom
Freedom is yours
If you choose to take it
Freedom is yours
Never doubt you'll make it
Freedom is yours
Freedom is yours
Suburban ghetto prisons
It's all the same
Living up to community visions
Like we're all the same
Change your name
Release the pain
Strike fear in your opponents and make them curse the day you came
The time is now to step forward and keep your balance
The moment to improve your talents
Freedom is yours
You have to remember freedom is yours
Dip in the pool you choose
You're not the first one to break loose
Remove the chains
Forget all you know about the don'ts and do's
Be insane
Remove the chains
Freedom is yours
Freedom is yours
You have to remember freedom is yours
Sinking From the Weight
Sinking from the weight of,
Denial.
We put on trial,
People we choose to deceive.
And...
Sinking from the weight of,
Denial.
We put on trial,
People we choose to deceive.
Is it an offense or a needless crime,
To defy fighting against...
Your own kind?
With selected ones chosen,
To occupy our minds.
For purposes to protect.
Their interests kept.
Even though we who are selected...
To do these deeds,
By those in sheltered discreet...
We remain despised,
By those who disrespect.
And fed from birth,
To know when to cheat...
Spy, lie and use alibis.
Is it an offense,
To not follow rules...
That make no sense.
As we must listen to 'authorities'
Who attempt to convince.
If a certain status given,
Is that of a minority....
Concerns of the majority,
Is a worthless expense.
And given less attention.
Is any seriousness mention.
Since no rights have been given,
A worthiness to drive 'unimportant' lives.
You may ride as a passenger...
But not permitted,
To make decisions from front seats.
And to speak,
Only when spoken to!
With a preferred silence.
To make what is done...
Even sweeter to complete.
Sinking from the weight of,
Denial.
We put on trial,
People we choose to deceive.
And...
Sinking from the weight of,
Denial.
We put on trial,
People we choose to deceive.
Is it an offense or a needless crime.
To defy fighting against,
Your own kind?
Or abandon ship,
Sinking from the weight...
Of evidence there is ignorance.
Sinking from the weight of,
Denial.
We put on trial,
People we choose to deceive.
And...
Sinking from the weight of,
Denial.
We put on trial,
People we choose to deceive.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Freedom Doesnt
freedom doesnt starve it's children,
freedom doesnt sell it's people into slavery.
freedom doesnt see skin color,
doesnt always speak english.
freedom doesnt have one religion.
freedom doesnt choose sexual preference.
freedom doesnt regulate love.
freedom doesnt trade joblessness for profit.
freedom doesnt take your home.
freedom doesnt create reservations, slums,
and low rent trailer parks.
freedom doesnt ban books.
freedom doesnt invade and conquer.
freedom doesnt trade blood for oil.
freedom doesnt imprison those it cannot use.
freedom doesnt live by the lie.
freedom doesnt have different levels of justice,
depending on how much money you have.
freedom doesnt abandon it's elderly.
freedom doesnt turn away the sick.
freedom doesnt kill in the name of god.
freedom doesnt lie about the past.
damn it to hell!
this doesnt smell like freedom!
poem by Eric Cockrell

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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War has no longer the justification that it makes for the survival of the fittest; it involves the survival of the less fit. The idea that the struggle between nations is a part of the evolutionary law of man's advance involves a profound misreading of the biological analogy. The warlike nations do not inherit the earth; they represent the decaying human element.
quote by Norman Angell

Submitted by Veronica Serbanoiu
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Every human has four endowments- self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom... The power to choose, to respond, to change.
quote by Stephen Covey

Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Intelligent Response
the only intelligent response
to our current global situation
involves... taking on the mantle
of responsibility, removing the
blinders from our eyes, rolling
up our sleeves, and getting to
the work.
those who hesitate, lose! those
who believe, act! those who act,
do so out of love!
poem by Eric Cockrell

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Freedom Riders
we are born to fight cause freedom
we ride forth constantly in cause freedom
we must speak fight for all who cannot
or will not fight
cause freedom
for themselves
but cause freedom
is not fighting deception oil wars
cause freedom is human rights
human rights regardless
of age race religion gender
for all citizens of this planet
poem by Terence George Craddock

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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A Freedom By Poetry!
Poetic freedom is the real freedom for human race;
The freedom they enjoy nobody enjoys in the world!
Free birds are the poets leading the world to freedom;
Nothing can stop the poetic spirit of human beings here!
Human life is incomplete without poetry in the world;
Poetry expresses the dreams, visions and imagination
Not only of the poets but also of the whole of mankind!
Poetry is also the criticism of human life in the world.
Poetry talks about the past, present and future for all;
Tells about love, life, Nature and beauty, a full knowledge!
Otherwise not anyone can gain that by any way in the world
And the place of poetry nothing can capture or replace ever!
Humankind is inspired by poetry for freedom to achieve freedom
And education for freedom can be imparted only by poetry ever!
poem by Ramesh T A

Submitted by Poetry Lover
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