We have the freedom to travel, to drive, to vote, and to serve jury as stated with a minimum age requirement. We also have the freedom to enjoy themselves as human beings like “free-range” societies. We are living in a democratic society.
What’s freedom of movement (Free Speech)?
- Independently book a hotel either on your own or as a group
- Right to apply for passport with legal reasons to travel
- Right to provide safety and security information regarding travel tips and warnings to others
- Safely visit Seoul, South Korea as a solo travel or as a family trip/friend’s trip
- Right to make his or her own decisions regarding his or her safety of their journey and commitment of the day when and where he or she can travel
What’s not freedom of movement (Free Speech)?
- Visit North Korea or countries against all travel (subject to arrest without notice or put ourselves in danger)
- Visit the countries that already in terrorist attack – wait three months before beginning your trip (protect us from getting hurt)
- Participate in Gangs (they are dangerous and engage in unlawful activities that they are in trouble)
- Restrict someone to travel with his or her own (unless someone with disabilities that sabotage his or her ability to travel on his or her own)
“Without Freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty, without freedom of speech.” – Benjamin Franklin
I don’t like my sister to rebel herself, and I don’t want my family to rebel ourselves. We also don’t like to restrict ourselves to one specific destination that prevents us from learning new experiences needed to learn and to grow as a person. Restriction of freedom means that the persons cannot explore themselves, which leads to devaluates creativity and critical thinking needed for our future. If a person can’t have these skills, they are more likely to suffer mental illness, stress, and jealousy. We don’t want stress to happen too often because it contributes unhealthy cognitive thinking. I don’t like setting up limits based on freedom of something legality (safely travel to the safer places). But it doesn’t mean that you can do anything you want; you have to follow laws and customs depending on people and in the community. I thought of myself that restrict freedom the right to travel (solo, as a group, as some friends) devalues freedom of speech as mention in the first amendment. On the other hand, it is a violation to break any laws and rules that either pay a fine or land in prison (not free speech to break any laws or rules). We don’t want that to happen seriously. Conservatively, If freedom restrictions applied to us, we might prevent ourselves to express some skills needed for the current and future world that diminished for our community in the future. Additionally, I don’t have any issue with my sister because she was cautious of her surroundings but I am concern about her, coming home past nine in summer, (seven in winter). The reasons why I am concern about coming home evening is because:
- She’s under eighteen.*
- She’s still in high school.**
- She’s too risky to going out alone.***
- She’s a young female.***
*It is required to have my parent or guardian (me) with her on some locations, even though she turns eighteen as a safety precaution. Even you are already turns eighteen and out of high school, curfews still apply to keep everybody safe with exceptions – e.g., church services, school, important events and so forth.
**Curfew is strictly enforced for all non-graduate high school students (dropouts don’t count unless he or she have earned a GED) and parents will either pay a fine or serve a sentence such as community service. We don’t want to miss curfew because we need to get good night sleep to prepare for the day. We don’t have the money to pay the fine. Curfew is from 10pm to 6am, but I set her from 9pm to 6am every day.
***Females and solo travelers are the most vulnerable target. It is a safety sake is to go out with someone older than eighteen or go with someone she knew is generally required for most places after sunset.
My sister doesn’t end up in dangerous places, and we don’t have any curfew violations. We felt very safe at home.
Alternatively, she has no problem taking the bus to Neshaminy mall during the day and only can travel if the school is not in session. Otherwise, I will have to go with her and wait until its weekend because I don’t want her to miss school. It’s mandatory for her to go to school.
She started to take SEPTA by the time she was in thirteen and was scared. I reminded her that, “It’s okay, don’t be so scared to travel alone on either bus or subway. Just keep practicing. God is with you all the time. Pray to yourself. You are a big girl, and you should know how to get around on your own.”
I tried not to say anything harmful or hurtful to my parents and decided not to listen to my parents about past experiences that are not appropriate today. I only hear to them about the forthcoming events. I teach my sister about 21st-century skills and values by disagreeing with my parents about skills that are outdated (some skills and experiences my parents generally had not applicable today).
I have lots of travel experiences relating in NYC, where my grands lived there, and I was not talked about how I travel to NYC without my parents. Instead, I sometimes traveled from Philadelphia to NYC with my brother and sister to see my grandpa’s home in Lower Manhattan during my high school years. I was a very independent young girl at the time when my parents were very busy with work, coming home for dinner in Philadelphia. My parents at first worried about where I was and suddenly, I took Chinatown Bus (I did not know Megabus was taken us to NYC too, founded in late 2006) and paid $8 in cash for three each. Wow, I am so glad that we made it safely to NYC Chinatown and to my grands to have a special night.
Whew! I already knew how to get around NYC/Philly just before I attended High School, which I started to take the bus/subway alone without my parents realized it. I was a little scared since I began to enter middle school years, thinking myself “not taking the SEPTA or MTA transit system again.” I practiced taking a SEPTA bus to school/attractions, and I felt passionate to arrive home safely. I finally accomplished it.
Additionally, I nicely discussed her about what’s right and what’s wrong when going out in a community and what’s acceptable/unacceptable behavior in a specific set of a group of people. It’s all about integrity. I only teach good, valuable skills and behavioral customs, day in and day out but not with my parents. After negotiating with my parents for about a month, I set her minimum age (which four years till I will sign her up for hostelworld account). Historically, I signed up at hostelworld just after I turned twenty-one because twenty-one is a minimum age which transition from child to adult. After I turned twenty-one, I don’t remember which places I stayed at a hostel in Tucson since I celebrated my 21st Birthday after I arrived Philadelphia. It was over five years ago and couldn’t remember some past events.
I don’t have to repeat conceptual lessons my sister learned or mastered. I felt so tired and [waste of time] of teaching same lessons, and I only teach my sister good, educational lessons once and moved onto new, creative lessons that show her good impressions without getting any nerves or stress. I just work what’s best for her.
Keep in mind: Not everyone can travel alone when he or she turns twenty-one. Some people have started to travel alone when they are in the late twenties or late thirties. That is why we have different skills with different personalities. We developed at a different pace at the different times, so we don’t compare to other people. Be yourself and work on your new skills you enjoy. Don’t let fears keep you from doing you enjoy.
References:
Freedom of Speech. (n.d.). The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Retrieved from Dictionary.com website http://www.dictionary.com/browse/freedom-of-speech
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