Freedom

Is freedom worth it? Freedom of speech, is it worth being unkind, destructive, or inflicting pain? Much as we may feel like hurting something or someone will make everything right, is that in fact truth? I am amazed at how many people forget their composure and like tigers in the middle of the jungle growl and snarl and take off after those that "offend" them. God took being offended out of my vocabulary a long time ago. But my feelings can still be hurt. Because you see taking offense at someone or something, that's selfishness on my part. That's me having to see something or someone out of my comfort zone and not being willing to allow another person or thing their existence as it is. But getting my feelings hurt that has to do with someone, whether intentional or not, taking something I've done or said and putting it through the ringer of meanness and crassness without regard to how it hurts me. The intention is to hurt me in fact, like a cold slap in the face. Realize sometimes I need this so I back off and go back on the straight and narrow. But most of the time people don't think about that but how much their blood pressure rises and they have to blow up at someone or something, rather than going before God and asking forgiveness or even "what do I do now" In this country it is actually those who choose to walk away from an argument, those who choose to say "I am not going to fight", those who allow others the right to say what they are going to say and then move on with their own existence who are actually free. As the Taoist says you have every right to express your freedom, but does that mean you should consider being destructive and mean behavior toward people and their property part of that freedom? Something to think about?