When Freedom is a Problem

Freedom of speech is a birthright in this country, but I’m starting to wonder if we need to reconsider the inheritance.

Freedom of the press and freedom of speech are guaranteed in the first amendment to our Constitution. It’s at the very core of our country, and to me as a journalist, it is in the soul of my being.

But not all speech is always protected. As Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes once wrote, yelling “fire” in a crowded theater is not protected.

I wonder what Holmes would say today. The internet has changed everything. As we round the corner on the last few months leading up to the 2020 elections, I have a certain amount of trepidation about what’s coming.

These days, anyone with a phone and an opinion gets footing in a world that is desperate to find its way. I cannot forget some of the craziest stories we’ve been subjected to over the years: The former president didn’t have a birth certificate, Hillary Clinton was running a pedophile ring out of a Washington pizzeria (I mean, a pizzeria?) and the current president was grabbing women by the kittens. Oh wait....

I notice we’ve raised the bar on what we tolerate. When my children were little I would not acknowledge a thing they said if it wasn’t accompanied by a “pease” or “tank you, Mommy.” Today, I put up with a lot, but now this queen has had enough.

Before we all begin posting our opinions, and re-posting a bunch of nonsense (I mean, a pizzeria?), I thought I would remind us of some helpful guidelines from the wacky world of yoga. I say that, because FYI: yogis are some of the biggest offenders of just really stupid speech (I’m back on pedophiles in the pizzeria, which either came from the Russians or Bernie Sanders followers).

The Four Gates of Speech

The four gates of speech is a tenet in the Buddhist world for right action, or perhaps even the Sufi.

Before you speak or post, consider this:

1. Is it truthful?

2. Is it necessary?

3. Is it the appropriate time?

4. Is it kind?

Furthermore, there are very few conspiracy stories, other than that of the worldwide Santa Claus collusion, and if sounds utterly ridiculous, it probably is. So that should help with what’s coming.

Next, please ask yourself this very simple question the next time your mind latches onto something and you want to rant about in offended indignation: “What if it wasn’t true?”

The mind is a terrible trickster. It’s not your friend at all. It is a frenemy at best, so be sure to doubt it all the time before you lambast somebody or something. I suggest a walk around a park or counting to ten. I know, it’s old fashioned, but it works.

You are entitled to your opinion, and according to the Constitution, to free speech. But you are not entitled to cause harm.

Justice Holmes told us that, the churches told us that, the synagogues told us that, Jesus told us that, Moses told us that, the Torah told us that, the Buddha told us that, the Sofi told us that, and your own Mama should have told you that. If you never got the message, now the Yogi Muse has told you that, and you better listen because this yoga mama has had enough.

Michelle Marchildon is the Yogi Muse. She’s an award-winning journalist and the author of four books on yoga. She resides in Denver, Colorado, and if you want something you better use your “Pease” and “Tank you’s.”