Jackassalope

The Color Red

A Chinese man was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for speaking out against communism. That is the reality of the world we live in. I know I’ve been a little soap boxy lately, but when you really start paying attention to what’s going on, it’s hard not to be affected. A story like this is easy to pass off as just being unfortunate because we’re not directly touched by the situation, so I’m asking you to seriously take two full minutes and think about it. Really put yourself in his shoes.

A man that was unhappy with his government made remarks in protest fashion, and was jailed for 3 ½ years. For 42 months he will be behind bars. He won’t see his home for 2,184 weeks. He can’t be with his family for 15,288 days; all because he tried to make a difference. He spoke up. He didn’t damage property. He didn’t physically harm anyone. He didn’t threaten anyone. You can get less prison time in America for killing someone.

So the next time you are talking about politics, and you have something negative to say, don’t let that moment pass without effect. Cherish your right to have freedoms because not everyone has that chance. It’s easy to say that they can relocate, or they can change their government, but the fact of the matter is that change is hard to come by. It’s not immediate, and it comes at a price. So what are you going to do for the next 3 ½ years. Think about your plans, not the idea of having plans, but everything you would miss on a day to day basis if they were ripped from you. Take two full minutes and just think about it.