What is Freedom?

Sometimes you wouldn't know what Freedom means until you come into a place where it is scarce.

Here in Dubai, I believe it has been bought and traded for the comforts of luxury by locals and expats alike, all of us, including me. In other places in the Middle East,  take Saudi, Syria, the Gaza strip, for those places, Freedom remains nothing but a vague figment of a dream, or a downright irrelevant illusion.  Places where citizens might rather wish to trade their nationality for a shiny new visa that would strip them of their roots and ultimately protect them from persecution. 

Meanwhile in the Philippines, everyone has a say, everyone gets to have a go at it. One little faux pas, and everyone is entitled to his or her own piece. In the past few months, we have observed how Social media has been exploited relentlessly by our kababayans, sharing and liking, commenting expertly, fiercely, sometimes unwittingly. 

We exercised our rights and fought for our opinions out on the streets, on facebook walls, on tweeter feeds, at the airport, at home, in our offices, and even in the Senate halls, criticizing and impeaching the highest counsel.  In the heat of discussions on whether  - Jessica Sanchez should've won American Idol, or if Manny Pacquiao was stupid to disagree with Gay Marriage, whether Lady Gaga and her antics should be allowed to corrupt our morals, and if Bayo was racist in their 50percent campaign,  many times  we heard the phrase ''It is a free country'' used as mighty defense. 

Perhaps it would be naive to think that our little voices mean anything, but having the right to say what you want to say when you want to say it, and being allowed to be where you want to be, those seemingly trivial things, those two, i've come to realize, are the very basics of Freedom. 

In the wake of our 114th independence day, I still count myself among the lucky ones, we do truly have every reason to celebrate. Love, value and protect our Freedom. It is something no amount of money or First-world comforts can buy, it is a gift that many of our valiant men had died for, and rightly so.

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!