Safety vs. Freedom

Americans take pride in their individual freedoms above safety. We as Americans have fought for our freedom since the building of our great nation. In the past, the people of America took pride in their freedom as a nation and a group of people. During the time, safety was an irrelevant issue. However, as time progressed to what we consider a contemporary society; safety became a co-existing factor in the systematic balance. Constant threats and dreadful attacks have been made by people because they were considered to have “too much freedom”. Safety in our everyday lives did not become prompted until people have taken drastic measures to ensure their freedom. Drastic measures have been taken by people because “too much” freedom was placed into the hands of the people. The correlation of freedom and safety now lingers onto a thin delicate balance that can be toppled when there is too much of freedom or safety. In today’s contemporary society, people not only want freedom, but they also feel the need for safety in their everyday lives. H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) wrote, “The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.” His statement over the topic may have been true for the time, but in today’s society, matters have changed dramatically in that safety and freedom are needed.
The topic of freedom and safety has been constantly debated. In order to fully understand the situation, definitions must be provided. Freedom is defined as “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint”. In other words, freedom is a power that is passed down to the people from the local and national government. On the other hand, safety is defined “as the condition of being protected from or unlikely to cause danger, risk, or injury.” Interestingly enough, these definitions overlap. Ambiguity and confusion seem to be interwoven in this case. These definitions are an underline proof that the average man desires both freedom and