A free, democratic society can’t exist without the freedom of speech. Every person who lives in a modern-day developed country should be able to express his/her opinion freely, because the freedom of speech is what makes the development of progressive societies possible. It doesn’t, however, mean the absolute neglect of censorship, because the freedom of speech can’t be total in any country. Both too strict censorship and its total absence are the two extremes, which should be avoided.
So, why is freedom of speech so important anyway?
Speech is utilized by human beings as a tool of communication in order to express opinions and thoughts about themselves, people, events, external and internal phenomena, and the world in general. When people experience any limitations in speech, they also face limitations in their thoughts, which could create tensions, and it, in turn, leads to stress and illnesses. When progressive minds are forced to stay quiet and when the level of intelligence of everyman decreases respectively because when intelligent words are not being expressed in society, intelligent thoughts stop appearing in the mind of the common men and they start to think very similar thoughts. Ideas stop reaching their minds because they have no clue about their existence. This makes a person an easy victim of propaganda. Knowing that, most communist societies are using this principle, diminishing the freedom of speech, and forcing people to follow their agenda. The most fascinating thing about diminishing the freedom of speech is that this regime can’t be supported permanently. By considering many examples throughout the history, we see that such regimes are bound to come to their logical end, because most of the time, they serve only a small group of egocentric people who can’t keep their power for too long.
Taking into consideration the abovementioned, it becomes very clear why the freedom of speech is so important for the development of a healthy society. It is an individual right that should be made available for everyone. Not accidently, the right to free speech is defined by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. It’s the number one requirement to building a free country. In the democratic counties, such as the Untied States of America, politicians come to power thankfully to discussions and debates showing that they’re worth voting for. When tyranny and censorship prevail in the country, it is impossible to make elections an object of free choice, because people either don’t get enough information or are simply misinformed. That is why the freedom of speech is an integral part and an indispensable attribute of the democratic society.
Aside from politics, the freedom of speech influences all spheres of life. Can you imagine your life without the Internet, e-mail, and social networks? All of these wouldn’t be possible if we weren’t provided with the privilege of the freedom of speech. That’s the reason why we should defend this right and not let anyone take it away from us. Diversity, not limitation, is the key to progress. And progress and evolution are the key elements needed for our survival.
