In the article Freedom and Justice for all by Louis E. Levinthal, the author talks about freedom and justice for all. Coming from a Jewish family, the author together with his family flees Russia to foreign lands all search of liberty and fairness. At this time, the author did not understand the meaning of freedom and justice. As he became of age, he began to question the validity of liberty and fairness and often, he would query himself whether the concepts he knew were of any significance. As a judge, the writer says that he little understood how justice was being propagated and miscarriage. Elmer Davis in the article Freedom is Worth the Risk posits that the most important thing in life is the freedom of the mind. According to him, for one to think right, one has to run the risk of thinking wrong. The remedy out of evil thinking is thinking even more! However, it is important to note that mind freedom is risky and dangerous! Such a freedom has been responsible for the widespread of evil and crime! I do not agree with the Elmer Daviss thoughts that since we are living in a dangerous world, mind freedom becomes dangerous too! However, the big question is, therefore, does convicting and jailing criminals grant them real liberty and justice?
It goes without saying that the minds of people are still suppressed from thinking. Change is inevitable, and according to the author, there is need to act in the best light with the hope that that the light will grow brighter. Having the freedom to think precedes all other types of liberty and all progress. But what exactly should be done to people who do their best to vandalize this liberty? Louis E. Levinthal at one instance recalled the case of an eighteen-year-old boy who was sentenced for burglary and in his third time of his conviction, the youngster pleaded guilty. As a judge, he felt that there was no enough evidence to convict the teenager and he had to order for an investigation into the case.
After a thorough research, he came to discover that the past life of the teenager was quite messed up and shattered indeed. The interesting part of the discovery was that each of the theft cases that the boy was caught in occurred after the battery and violence between his parents. To some extent, the judge came to believe that the reason behind these occurrences was some form of revenge mission. According to the magistrate, prison would not serve him right. He, therefore, sentenced the teenager to probation on condition that he would join the army. Luckily enough, he seemed happy boy joined the army, and that became the genesis of the legacy of the kid. Apart from becoming a bombardier in the air force, the teenager won Presidential Citation for bravery.
According to the judge, justice and freedom should granted even to the hardened criminals. They deserve to be heard if not a second chance! According to the author, human beings possess the capacity of self-improvement. Ideally, people are poised for greatness, and they can only achieve success when they continuously seek to improve their lives, those of others and also improve the environment around them. The generation today is quite enthusiastic, charming and has a high momentum! Many individuals in this generation fail to visualize and look back! The only thing left for this generation is to think of the present and contribute towards the future as a member of a very peculiar species.
Ideally, this is generation lies in the turning point of history, and its actions are bound to affect the present and the future. And even though there is need to preserve the freedom of the mind, it cannot be achieved by thinking more! Thinking more complicates matters and makes it difficult to make wise decisions especially when the number of people concerned is enormous. The same freedom of the mind that has propelled innovation and improved lives has been responsible for the widespread crime since people are explorative and are always out there to test and break the law. However, paramount to keep the field clear for the creative intelligence, and this will be only to promote progress in the lives of human beings.
The bottom line is achieving freedom and justice, virtues, decency, and personality should be advocated. It is without a doubt that it is impossible to live without hurting others no matter how unintentional it may be! Therefore, freedom of the mind should be granted but only to acceptable limits! Convicting and jailing criminals is not essentially the best method to allow liberty and justice. Furthermore, it does not guarantee that their character will change. Freedom and fairness go hand in hand, and it can only be achieved by respecting people, not manipulating and mistreating them. In the words of Scottish scientist J. B. S. Haldane, people who can make a positive contribution to human progress are few.
Works Cited
"Freedom and Justice for All Louis E. Levinthal | This I Believe." This I Believe | A Public Dialogue About Belief One Essay at a Time. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2017.
"Freedom Is Worth the Risk Elmer Davis | This I Believe." This I Believe | A Public Dialogue About Belief One Essay at a Time. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2017.
Request Removal
If you are the original author of this essay and no longer wish to have it published on the customtermpaperwriting.org website, please click below to request its removal: