Freedom

What is freedom to you?

Please read till the end.

Yesterday was 30th anniversary of 1st free election in Poland after WWII. Anniversary of that historic day that changed everything. Events that actually started whole movement in Europe (Czech Republic and Germany were next).

June 4th 1989 was when Communism ended in Poland. It was the day when we gained freedom again.

I was standing at a concert held due to this anniversary yesterday (check on my stories) and heard elders talking about that day. We were shown news and documentaries of what 80s looked like in Poland. It was times of Martial Law here in 1981-1983. There were plenty strikes then (it all actually started in my city Gdańsk), people were fighting for freedom. My parents told me many times how awful those times were. How they couldn’t go and buy anything they wanted in a store (there was food rationing, every family could buy certain amount of bread, potatoes, toilet paper, soap etc. per month), how they couldn’t leave house and walk on the streets in the evenings, how they couldn’t talk openly about politics or even use word „freedom”!, how media couldn’t write the truth but only what the government told them to print/say on the news…

I was born 2 years after we gained freedom again and those horrible times ended. My brothers were 6-7 years old then though. They had few toys, hardly had any clothes. Can you imagine that?

So I was standing at this concert yesterday and was thinking how lucky I am to live now, in those better times.  Can you imagine not being able to say what you think? To be forced to keep spreading lies? To be punished for saying what you feel? To not be FREE?

What is freedom to you? Because being able to say what we want, to do what we want, to buy what we want is freedom to me. And all those people, including my parents, my aunts, uncles and young brothers didn’t have that then.

I am so grateful that I am able to do all those things nowadays. I am so grateful to be able to travel (Polish people couldn’t go abroad during Martian Law!). I am so grateful for FREEDOM.

Are you?

You should.

Sadly not all people around the world have that.