As Rosana's mother, I could not help but weep and smile and shake my head in agreement at this superb and thoughtful analysis she wrote. I feel like making a copy and framing it to have it close by forever!
So thoughtful & well written! The loss of freedom feels so depressing, but I love that you give us a glimmer of hope. We need that hope so that we'll feel it's worth the effort to right this ship! And yes, we have to try. Thank you! (And also, I don't know where I've been, but this is the first I've heard of the Dark Brandon meme! 😂 )
Great piece! And lately, I’ve been thinking about how a lot of the people who complain in the US about freedoms being taken away, are only talking about it on social media. There’s a lot of talk and there’s barely any walk. Americans have such a hard time giving up convenience and in turn, corporations have taken over. No one’s perfect and I’m far from it. But I do believe it is so important to vote with your dollar and to remember that WE are the majority. It’s easier said than done, I know, I’m doing it 🤣 but it’s definitely worth the effort. Buy local, buy from regenerative farms, and try to be a conscious consumer.
You begin with freedom and end with opportunity. Of course the two concepts are intertwined. But I'm not sure that these are universally considered as mutually dependent, as the post implies. There are Asian cultures where opportunity (of a kind) is available, but does not come with the political liberties (like voting and protesting) that Western democracies enjoy (or claim to enjoy). There are plenty of rich folks in China and Singapore who don't care so much if they have the freedom to express a political opinion or not.
I'm not saying those cultures are successful or superior. I'm only pointing out that freedom need not be associated with opportunity in a "land of the free, home of the brave shopper" sort of way. On a more serious level, important opportunities for education, meaningful work, and healthcare, do not necessarily have to be packaged with freedoms like safety from violence, autonomous decisions over our own bodies, speech, and religious practice.
Freedoms are concepts that a free people believe are worth protecting for each other, while opportunities tend to be acquisitions that anyone believes they are entitled to earn, or just be entitled to.
I know you didn't mean to suggest that the linkage is simple. Yet I wonder if we might be better served by understanding that "freedom" and "opportunity" need to be better understood, especially by those of us who believe (or hope) we have both.
In solidarity with the mixed bag of feelings about this holiday. Just supplied an optimist friend from our inventory of No Planet B and Stand Uo to Big Oil signs for marching in the Ojai parade. Im working on a strategic plan for independence from toxic pesticides and Ron is free to garden today. love how you think and write.
Wonderful piece Rosana. This is always a difficult subject for me because I grew up in Venezuela and I still have family there, where their basic rights have been stripped away by the communists in power. They do have elections there every 6 years but everyone knows that no matter how many people go out and vote against the current system, they will remain in power. I don't take anything for granted here, no one should. Every thing that's been happening here in the last few years, and what is happening now, needs to be taken very seriously and contested. I can't imagine the USA going in the direction of Venezuela, but I used to say that about Venezuela, and now they're 20 plus years living in hell. And now on a happier note, I just replaced my old shower head. That old thing got to the point that it was just dripping, it took me half a day just to shampoo...
Jul 8, 2023·edited Jul 8, 2023Liked by Rosana Francescato
Rosanna, I too became a citizen when my father passed away when I was 13. My mom had to go through the citizenship-claimant exercise because the State of Illinois wasn't going to give survivors benefits to a dirty little non-citizen. My dad was Canadian and they went to Toronto for my birth because Carle Hospital killed our middle sister through very poor healthcare during the birthing process - umbilical strangulation.
Anyhoo, the USA had a terrific amount of turmoil in the 1960s up through the mid-70's. Things calmed down a great deal after the vietnam war ended. I think this sort of thing comes up every 40Y or so (before 1965 there was WWI and then the Great Depression). I think this turmoil will pass and hopefully in 5Y after we lose some aging baby boomers, and if China doesn't invade Taiwan, we will be back on the right path again ...
Very well written piece! Although I can’t really relate to being an immigrant since my entire family goes back to the crossing of the Mayflower & shortly thereafter. I have always considered myself a very patriotic person & served as a civil servant for 25+ years but as I was watching the fireworks from our nations capitol last night I felt a strange sadness & detachment from that display. These are very frightening times we are living in but it helps to know that there really are other like minded folks out there!
As Rosana's mother, I could not help but weep and smile and shake my head in agreement at this superb and thoughtful analysis she wrote. I feel like making a copy and framing it to have it close by forever!
Nice work, Rosana!
So thoughtful & well written! The loss of freedom feels so depressing, but I love that you give us a glimmer of hope. We need that hope so that we'll feel it's worth the effort to right this ship! And yes, we have to try. Thank you! (And also, I don't know where I've been, but this is the first I've heard of the Dark Brandon meme! 😂 )
Great piece! And lately, I’ve been thinking about how a lot of the people who complain in the US about freedoms being taken away, are only talking about it on social media. There’s a lot of talk and there’s barely any walk. Americans have such a hard time giving up convenience and in turn, corporations have taken over. No one’s perfect and I’m far from it. But I do believe it is so important to vote with your dollar and to remember that WE are the majority. It’s easier said than done, I know, I’m doing it 🤣 but it’s definitely worth the effort. Buy local, buy from regenerative farms, and try to be a conscious consumer.
Fantastic piece, Rosana. And thank you for introducing me to Third Act. I need to find a way to incorporate this into my own newsletter.
You begin with freedom and end with opportunity. Of course the two concepts are intertwined. But I'm not sure that these are universally considered as mutually dependent, as the post implies. There are Asian cultures where opportunity (of a kind) is available, but does not come with the political liberties (like voting and protesting) that Western democracies enjoy (or claim to enjoy). There are plenty of rich folks in China and Singapore who don't care so much if they have the freedom to express a political opinion or not.
I'm not saying those cultures are successful or superior. I'm only pointing out that freedom need not be associated with opportunity in a "land of the free, home of the brave shopper" sort of way. On a more serious level, important opportunities for education, meaningful work, and healthcare, do not necessarily have to be packaged with freedoms like safety from violence, autonomous decisions over our own bodies, speech, and religious practice.
Freedoms are concepts that a free people believe are worth protecting for each other, while opportunities tend to be acquisitions that anyone believes they are entitled to earn, or just be entitled to.
I know you didn't mean to suggest that the linkage is simple. Yet I wonder if we might be better served by understanding that "freedom" and "opportunity" need to be better understood, especially by those of us who believe (or hope) we have both.
In solidarity with the mixed bag of feelings about this holiday. Just supplied an optimist friend from our inventory of No Planet B and Stand Uo to Big Oil signs for marching in the Ojai parade. Im working on a strategic plan for independence from toxic pesticides and Ron is free to garden today. love how you think and write.
Bravo! Beautiful and so perfect for this day.
Wonderful piece Rosana. This is always a difficult subject for me because I grew up in Venezuela and I still have family there, where their basic rights have been stripped away by the communists in power. They do have elections there every 6 years but everyone knows that no matter how many people go out and vote against the current system, they will remain in power. I don't take anything for granted here, no one should. Every thing that's been happening here in the last few years, and what is happening now, needs to be taken very seriously and contested. I can't imagine the USA going in the direction of Venezuela, but I used to say that about Venezuela, and now they're 20 plus years living in hell. And now on a happier note, I just replaced my old shower head. That old thing got to the point that it was just dripping, it took me half a day just to shampoo...
Rosanna, I too became a citizen when my father passed away when I was 13. My mom had to go through the citizenship-claimant exercise because the State of Illinois wasn't going to give survivors benefits to a dirty little non-citizen. My dad was Canadian and they went to Toronto for my birth because Carle Hospital killed our middle sister through very poor healthcare during the birthing process - umbilical strangulation.
Anyhoo, the USA had a terrific amount of turmoil in the 1960s up through the mid-70's. Things calmed down a great deal after the vietnam war ended. I think this sort of thing comes up every 40Y or so (before 1965 there was WWI and then the Great Depression). I think this turmoil will pass and hopefully in 5Y after we lose some aging baby boomers, and if China doesn't invade Taiwan, we will be back on the right path again ...
Very well written piece! Although I can’t really relate to being an immigrant since my entire family goes back to the crossing of the Mayflower & shortly thereafter. I have always considered myself a very patriotic person & served as a civil servant for 25+ years but as I was watching the fireworks from our nations capitol last night I felt a strange sadness & detachment from that display. These are very frightening times we are living in but it helps to know that there really are other like minded folks out there!