I recently got the chance to go to Mardi Gras. But not for the reason you think. I was there to share my beliefs about Jesus Christ, or even more specifically to exercise the American rights of freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
I think we almost always think of freedom of speech as just being able to say whatever you want, whenever you want. But I think there is a lot more to it. Usually whenever we are talking about our opinions and beliefs, we are in a small setting with people we know. When it is in this atmosphere, it can be easier to freely express what we are thinking and the message we want to get across. This is how I usually feel free to speak, but in New Orleans this was taken up a whole notch.
Imagine a street crowded with people, filling almost every empty space. Now imagine yourself in the middle of it, with the intention of getting anyone's attention that you can so you can convince them to believe in what you know. Scary, isn't it? This was exactly my experience. I was intimidated at first. Mainly because I was afraid that my freedom of religion and speech wouldn't be respected and listened to. That people would reject what I was telling them and turn me down at face value. Of course, there is always that possibility. That is another freedom that we have, we don't have to listen to other people's opinions.
What I found out however, was that when I truly stepped out into the freedom of speech of sharing my religion, most people would listen. They didn't always agree or come into agreement with me, but that's not the point. The point is that being able to share with other people freely what you believe is a right that should never be taken away. It is something that thousands of people have died for in America and it is something that if you took away, we would be nothing more than a people who think and say what they have been taught to say, in a way a slave to society, with no true freedom of their own.
Having a freedom to be able to express in public places what you believe is amazing. As long as we aren't causing trouble with the police and getting arrested we should be able to continue using that freedom. Having that freedom doesn't mean that we don't respect authority higher than us.
