by Joe Jenkins

Created on: February 12, 2008

The words you are reading right now are absolute proof that freedom is never over-rated. If one were to remove my freedoms, you would be rating a blank page at this very instant.

Without the basic freedoms we all enjoy on a daily basis, debates such as these would be silent mutterings. The sharp cutting edges of true opinion would be continually dulled by the fear of forthcoming consequences.

For those that believe that the value of our freedoms are over-blown, I offer this trip down what we commonly refer to as the slippery slope:

There are countless people that many people find incredibly offensive. Liberals can't stand Rush Limbaugh. Conservatives despise Howard Stern. Despite your position on the moral scale, we can not allow their voices to be subdued.

If we mute the voices of those we find offensive, we must also squelch the voices of the opposition. When we silence both sides of the debate, we find ourselves in a state of neutrality. No vehicle has ever moved in neutral and no change has ever been born from silent apathy.

When I first joined this community, I began to think about what exactly the name "Helium" really meant. What does that name have to do with a group of writers trying to make each other better?

It dawned on me that Helium is the perfect name for what we do here. This writing community is the digital embodiment of "The Marketplace of Ideas." That which is valid in the minds of the masses will rise to the top; as though it were lighter than its surroundings. That which is outlandish and rejected by the greater whole, will fall away from the public consciousness.

Regardless of what we say or where we rank, we have the freedom to do so. It is that freedom that keeps the never-ending brainstorm at work. It is our freedom that allows us to improve not only our government, but ourselves and everyone around us.

Imagine a world where you have to turn down a better paying job because you lack the proper paperwork to work in Illinois.

Imagine a world where a brilliant medical mind is unable to cure diseases and mend sick children because he does not come from the predetermined hereditary line.

In an even worse situation, what would we do if we lacked the freedom to change such injustices.

No, freedom is not, nor will it ever be over-rated. Whether it is recognized, appreciated or not, it is the very crux from which we live our daily lives.

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