We are willing enough to praise freedom when she is safely tucked

Opening Scene – Narrated by Host

The world outside was muted by the dusk, the city’s usual hum softened into a distant rhythm. Inside, the room felt quiet, almost still, save for the soft rustling of pages and the occasional clink of a coffee cup being set down. Jack sat by the window, his gaze distant, lost in the quiet chaos of his thoughts. The reflection of the city lights flickered in the glass, yet it was clear that his mind was elsewhere, caught in a place between the past and the present.

Jeeny was across the room, reading a book, but her attention was on him. She knew well when he was carrying the weight of something unspoken. The silence between them seemed thick, heavy with something that had yet to be voiced.

Host: The stillness in the room was charged, waiting for the right moment to bring their thoughts to the surface.

Jeeny: Her voice, gentle but filled with intent, broke through the quiet. “Jack, I came across a quote today that made me think of you. It’s from E. M. Forster. He said, ‘We are willing enough to praise freedom when she is safely tucked away in the past and cannot be a nuisance. In the present, amidst dangers whose outcome we cannot foresee, we get nervous about her, and admit censorship.’ What do you think about that?”

Jack: His eyes flickered from the window to her, the weight of the words landing on him with a subtle force. He leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped in front of him, his mind clearly turning over the meaning of the quote. “You know, I think that’s exactly it. We love to praise freedom when it’s comfortable, when it’s something we can look back on and admire. But in the present, when things are uncertain, when the risks feel too high, we start to get nervous.”

He paused, his voice lowering as he considered the idea. “It’s like we take freedom for granted when it’s a historical concept, something that’s already happened and we can admire from a distance. But when it’s in the now, when it’s right in front of us, we start worrying about the consequences. And that’s when we allow things like censorship to creep in.”

Jeeny: She nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful. “Exactly. Freedom is easy to praise when it’s something we can look back on. When it’s part of the past, it’s safe, it’s settled, and we can admire it without any consequences. But in the present, when the world is shifting and we’re faced with uncertainty, we start to feel uncomfortable with the very thing that gives us autonomy. We become afraid of what could happen, and in that fear, we allow ourselves to justify censorship.”

Her gaze softened, and she added quietly, “It’s easier to let go of freedom when we’re afraid of the unknown. It’s when we’re faced with things we can’t control that we become willing to sacrifice our freedom for the sake of security.”

Jack: He exhaled slowly, his thoughts clearly aligning with her words. “That’s what’s so dangerous about it. The moment we start compromising on freedom in the name of safety, we open the door to something much worse. It’s like a trade-off — freedom for control. And once that door is opened, it’s hard to close it.”

His eyes narrowed slightly, his voice growing more reflective. “I think that’s what makes freedom so difficult. We love it when it’s easy, when we don’t have to question it. But when things get tough, when the world feels chaotic, we get scared. And in that fear, we give up pieces of ourselves, pieces of what makes us free.”

Jeeny: She smiled softly, her expression filled with understanding. “It’s the paradox, isn’t it? Freedom is both empowering and terrifying. It gives us the power to choose, to make decisions, but in the face of uncertainty, it also requires us to face the consequences of those choices. And when things get uncertain, when we can’t predict the outcome, we want to control things, to make the world feel safer. But that comes at a cost.”

She paused for a moment, her voice softer. “Censorship doesn’t just take away our ability to speak or express ourselves — it takes away our power to make decisions, to choose. And once we begin to sacrifice that, we start to lose a piece of our humanity.”

Jack: His expression softened, the weight of the conversation settling in. “Maybe that’s the real danger — not just the censorship itself, but what it says about us. It’s the fear of uncertainty that leads us to give up our freedom. We start valuing control over autonomy, comfort over growth, and in doing so, we start diminishing the very things that make us human.”

He leaned back, a quiet realization coming over him. “I think I’ve been guilty of that. Sometimes, when things get uncertain, I want to control them, to make the world feel safer. But I’ve also seen how that leads to cutting off the very things that make us truly free — the ability to choose, to act, to speak.”

Jeeny: Her eyes were warm, filled with understanding. “It’s not an easy thing to accept, though. It’s so much easier to give up that control, to choose comfort over challenge. But the reality is, without freedom, we lose something fundamental. And that’s why it’s so important to fight for it, to protect it even when it feels scary or uncertain.”

Her smile deepened. “Freedom isn’t about always being in control. It’s about being able to make choices, to create your own path, even when you don’t know where it leads.”

Host: The room was quiet now, the weight of the conversation settling in the space between them. Jack seemed to be processing the shift in his understanding — that true freedom came with the inherent risk of uncertainty, of not knowing what the future held. But it was that very freedom that allowed for growth, for change, and for the ability to choose.

Outside, the city continued on, its hum steady and constant, but inside, there was a shift. The idea that freedom — in all its messy, unpredictable glory — was worth fighting for, even when it felt scary or uncertain, had settled in. And that realization, though not simple, felt like a small spark of clarity in the face of so much uncertainty.

End Scene.