As we watch the events of the last week unfold: the Freedom Convoy, demonstrations in Ottawa, followed by other demonstrations across Canada and now Freedom Convoys happening or being planned around the world, I, like many others, feel a sense of pride and hope that hasn’t been felt in a few years. I’ve chatted with many people over the past few days who are relating a feeling of happiness to the point of tears from the simple realization that they are not alone. That, amongst all those who have had their voices censored over the past years, there are a large number of people who believe just as strongly in individual freedoms as they do.

It is an exciting time to be sure for those of us who have been isolated, marginalized and kept silent but it is my great hope that we can stay focused on the ultimate goal: freedom from oppression. Freedom from tyranny, both governmental and societal. Individual freedom and freedom of speech.

In order to reach that goal I think it is extremely important that we remember that our rights as free human beings; to exercise our liberty and free will, is not a political issue, but is only being posed as one by those who most benefit from the easiest lines of division. Casting every disagreement as a political difference constrains all individual issues into 2 strongly defined ideological sides. Both sides are then assigned beliefs that they do not truly have and pitted against each other in a fight for the survival of “humanity”.

There is no doubt that the politicians and their media cronies are playing a role in the censoring of our free will and speech, but without our consent, they do not possess the power to make their desires come true. They are simply guiding our social tyranny and delighting in watching us constrain ourselves.

I hope, with the recent events finally giving a voice to the oppressed, that we can maintain our focus on the ultimate goal. But as we have seen time and again, people on all sides will be suckered into believing that they are, in fact, not individuals but are instead on either one side or the other, of a multitude of singular arguments that have nothing to do with freedom, which is an unassailable right, and everything to do with, for example: the character of a single trucker, the logistics of food transportation, the sleep schedule of a single baby or a litany of other secondary issues that can be assailed, and thus help create division.

Only by staying focused on the ultimate goal will people have a chance to stay the course. We will certainly not get there by glorifying or vilifying truckers or conservatives or liberals or any of those who stand in opposition to freedom; simply because they are trying to protect their friends and families from harm by doing what they are told by those whose goal is to mislead them.

We very simply and truly need, all of us, to see which path to follow to best protect the humanity that we all hold individually as our highest interest. Our best chance of making sure we are all pulling in the direction of our shared goal is by staying on the unassailable and true purpose: the freedom of the individual and the importance of protecting free speech.

It’s very disappointing to see how this current first step towards those exceedingly important goals are, in many circumstances and on all sides, quickly fragmenting into these political arguments again, replete with mainstream media talking points.

There is only 1 issue. There is only one answer. If we can get people to rise above their scripted roles and think for themselves, the last 2 years can be over tomorrow. And we can rebuild the broken relationships that the current divisiveness has wrought and move forward with the shared goals of rebuilding and cherishing our fellow man and our societies in equal partnership with the gift of our human individualities.

There will be time later, to root out those who benefited most from sowing the seeds of division, to reconstruct the Press into an institution of truth and to revisit and reinforce the very laws and mechanisms that are in place to protect our freedom of speech. But none of these steps can be taken until we have reclaimed our right to be free human beings. Our right to the individual liberty that past generations fought so fiercely to protect.

It is my great wish, that everyone who has recently felt that feeling of a hope long forgotten, remembers that feeling and what it truly takes to have it back for good. And that we can all stay focused on that most important goal, until it is ours once more.