Freedom is Uncomfortable

By Dudley Bradstreet
Minister of Satan

Take a drive down any public road and you are likely to end up behind a
vehicle with a sticker on the back that says something along the lines of “if you
enjoy your freedom thank a vet” or “freedom isn’t free”. These are fine slogans,
and they hint at what I want to talk about today, but they don’t get all the way
there. If my title didn’t already give my subject away what I want to talk about that
if you really value freedom, you must accept the fact that freedom will often make
you uncomfortable. This isn’t a one-way street; your expression of freedom is
probably making someone else uncomfortable but like the bumper sticker said
“freedom isn’t free” right?
Let’s start things off with an example from my personal life about how
someone else’s freedom made me uncomfortable: Situated directly on the North-
East corner of one of the main intersections of a city that I have either worked in or
lived in for the last 11 years is a small mid-50s style block home on a city sized lot
with a one-car garage sitting behind the house. When I first moved to the area the
house was painted a gorgeous (in my opinion) light shade of sea-foam green. I
used to enjoy passing this house almost every day but about 5 years ago a new
owner bought the house a promptly painted the house and garage and ugly (again,
in my opinion) dark sand color. Since the house was painted my commute has been
less aesthetically pleasing. That said I recognize the homeowner’s freedom to paint
their home whatever color they like, even if it is ugly in my opinion.
This is a superficial example, but it paints a picture. When we say we want
freedom we need to understand that often times that freedom is going to mean that
other people say or do things we don’t agree with, but we have to accept. Maybe I
wear a shirt for a politician you don’t agree with. Maybe you spend your money to
see a band that I don’t like. Maybe a group wants equal representation in their
state by decorating a holiday tree in a way they find aesthetically pleasing. These
are all freedoms, and all can be uncomfortable.
I was inspired to write this piece after reading the statement from WPS about
why they pulled sponsorship of The National Railroad Museum. In their press
release WPS said “Our company and charitable foundation supports free speech,
however, this act appears designed to provoke a strong reaction, not celebrate the
spirit of the holiday season. We have asked for our sponsorship to be removed.”
Based on their actions WPS clearly does not understand the meaning of “free
speech” or freedom in general. Our display may have made some folks
uncomfortable and that should be ok, some other displays made us uncomfortable
which is also ok. If we are not uncomfortable on occasion, we are not free.
In closing I would like to reflect on tenet four of The Satanic Temple’s Seven
Fundamental Tenets: “The freedoms of others should be respected, including the

freedom to offend. To willfully and unjustly encroach upon the freedoms of another
is to forgo one's own.”
As always,
Hail Satan