When we lose the right to be different, we lose the privilege to be free

Charles Evan Hughes

Being unique and different from others is the essential characteristic of the human race. We
think differently, we behave differently, we live differently. Each of us has their own dreams,
desires, personality. For someone, reading books and improving their knowledge may be of
paramount importance, while for somebody else, having a large circle of friends will be the
most important. What matters most for someone can make little difference to another person.
However, it is these differences that make living as a human fun and interesting. Being able to
express ourselves however we want, being able to do anything we want (within the moral
grounds and the common sense available, as well as by respecting the rights of another) will
provide us with an immense sense of freedom and happiness.
Take the example of artists, for example. Painters, singers, actors, writers are most prolific
when allowed to express themselves freely, even if their vision does not fit the one of the
society or the norm. The most impressive and extraordinary works of art and science have
been created by people who were not afraid to be different, who were not afraid to be
themselves.
Michelangelo Buonarotti, for example, one of the most famous artists of the Renaissance in
Italy, was one of the most appreciated sculptors and painters of his time, even if his some of
his works involving nude frescoes were not always approved by the Church. The asymmetry
found in the works of the Spanish painter Pablo Picasso was also condemned by those who
did not understand it yet that did not stop him from starting a true revolution in the twentieth
century art.
The evolution of science has been found under the sign of freedom in experimenting
something different and in standing true to ones beliefs, even if it meant death. Take the
unfortunate case of Giordano Bruno, a sixteenth century Italian astrologer, who was burned at
the stake as a heretic, for insisting that the universe is infinite and that it contains many other
solar systems. Galileo Galilei, another Italian astronomer who lived in the same time period as
Bruno, was persecuted by the Inquisition for his idea that the Earth moves around the Sun,
which came in contradiction with the literal interpretation of the Bible.
These different opinions and ideas are what forced humanity to march forward. Thinking out
of the box is what helped us to evolve and progress further. Who would have thought, a
hundred years ago, that we may be able to communicate with anyone we want, no matter the
distance between us? Or that we can fly up in the sky, reaching distances three hundred years
ago nobody would have even dared to dream of?

When we give free room to our imagination and we learn to take advantage of our differences,
we can do practically anything. Because the privilege to be free is given by the ability to
dream different dreams, each unique to every person. And the creativity of a person truly
manifests itself when the respective person is not forced to fit within certain standards of the
society or any of its ludicrous laws.
What happens when the right to be different is taken away? We lose our individuality and at
the same time, we lose our privilege to be free to do whatever we are capable of in order to
help society and humanity evolve further.
As an example to illustrate this statement, we can think of communism and what it meant for
the countries which had the misfortune to fall under such regime. In the Romanian communist
society, for example, people who were different were persecuted and thrown in jail. Their
freedom was taken away by the ruling party which wanted the absolute control over state
power as well as over the minds of each and every individual.
Communism thought that difference is the seed of insubordination and chaos, this is why they
promoted a specific ideology and work system, which did not focus on individual merits but
rather on the collective effect. One could no longer be different people were forced to think
the same thoughts, live the same lives, have the same faith. People were no longer allowed to
freely express their beliefs, they could not read or write what they really felt and could not
truly make a difference without being confined by the communist policy and ideology.
Some of the most fundamental human rights were neglected, such as freedom of information,
freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Even the freedom to create a family was altered,
by the introduction of a law which banished abortion, therefore forcing all women to give
birth no matter their circumstances.
Individual freedom was greatly affected it was like being stripped away of an important part
of your soul, the very essence which made you different from the rest. Being free in the true
sense of the word was no longer an option, unless you sought living in a free, democratic
country.
In such conditions, the only way to regain your right to be different and your freedom was
allying against the regime and changing it by force. The ideal to regain the right to a different
opinion and a different life animated an entire country, which fought to the death for the
abolition of communism and in the end, succeeded.
This proves how much people appreciate their freedom, a freedom which can only be attained
once you have embraced differences between individuals as a part of life and of ones culture.
Seeking to take advantage of a different racial ethnicity under the pretense that they are
uncivilized or they are inferior is no better than seeking to gain absolute control over ones
freedom and annihilate their uniqueness.
The African American peoples slavery in the United States in the eighteenth and the
nineteenth century, as well as the Nazi persecution of the Jews in the twentieth century

Europe, are examples that prove the fact that trying to control or even annihilate a race for
being different will only result in failure and revolt, as humans know the right to be different
is not one that can be taken lightly or ever abolished.
To conclude, being different is what makes us capable of progress and encourages us to
pursue new developments. This right is something we were born with, not something we
received from a person or from a man-made community. As a result, the right to be different
cannot be taken away from us under any circumstances; should it happen, we will fight to get
it back, in order to preserve the very essence of our soul, our freedom.

BIBLIOGRAFIE

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Picasso
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelangelo
http://discovermagazine.com/2008/sep/06-burned-at-the-stake-for-believing-in-science
http://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs201/projects/communism-computing-

china/censorship.html
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_society
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_United_States