Flood in a townNotes: Sudden rain – Continued for days pdf

Liberty Since his appearance on the earth, man has instinctively longed for liberty, an ideal which has inspired revolts and revolutions throughout the long history of the human race...

Flood in a town

Notes: Sudden rain – Continued for days – Floods – Many

homes washed away – Many people made homeless –

Some drowned – School closed – Hospital full – Much

suffering – Rain stopped – Sunshine again – People

happy

After a long period of dry weather in my town, it suddenly

began to rain one day The people were happy

The rain continued for days The people then became

worried Soon there were floods everywhere, which

caused much damage and suffering

Many houses were washed away by the flood water, and

hundreds of people were made homeless Some were

also drowned Schools were closed to provide shelter to

those who were affected by the floods The hospital was

filled with sick people

Fortunately, the rain stopped to prevent further damage

and suffering to the people There was sunshine again

and the people were happy

Liberty

Since his appearance on the earth, man has instinctively

longed for liberty, an ideal which has inspired revolts and

revolutions throughout the long history of the human race

The yearning for liberty or freedom is not restricted to man

alone Even animals, birds and all living creatures love the

freedom that God has given to them Like men, these

creatures will never submit to captivity without resistance

Neither will they cease to make tenacious efforts to

escape, once they are captured

In the early days of their existence, men were free to

pursue their own affairs, within the limits of their own

ability They moved from place to place in small isolated

groups and families in search of food which consisted of

edible plants, fruits and the flesh of animals The pursuit of

the means of survival was their only occupation, and the

things that restricted their freedom of movement, to some

extent, were their own fears of the unknown and natural

barriers such as mountains, dense, forests, and rivers

These were no restraints imposed upon them by human

institutions, and they enjoyed their liberty

Gradually, men learned to live in communities and various

institutions were established, which soon curtailed their

liberty to a great extent Rules were made for the cohesion

of each community and obedience to those rules was

secured by the threat of punishment This element of

compulsion imposed upon the conduct of the individuals in

the community restricted the liberty of the people; but the

greater security that men enjoyed in community life

provided the incentive to partial sacrifices

Soon, however, conflicts developed among the various

communities The stronger one conquered the weaker one

and in the contest for power and domination, hundreds of

people lost their liberty completely The enslavement and

suppression of one group of people by another provided

the stimulus for numerous revolts and revolutions for

liberty which have not ceased till this day Even in the

same community, sometimes, there were divisions The

rulers, who came to be known as kings, with the

development of the communities into countries, were at

variance with their subjects To maintain their status and

to assert their authority, kings developed their own

theories of kingship, and many of them ruled in the most

despotic manner Defiance of the king’s authority was

punished by death and imprisonment What constituted

defiance was decided arbitrarily by the king or his

ministers, and thousands of people were deprived of their

liberty

Eventually, however, despotism aroused the fury of

political thinkers and writers in many countries A crusade

then began against oppression and despotism, and the cry

for liberty was heard everywhere Revolutions erupted;

despotic rulers were overthrown, and new rulers were

compelled to rule with the consent of the people The

French Revolution of the eighteenth century is the best

example of the extremity to which people were prepared to

go to retain or regain their liberty, which is claimed to be

the birth-right of every man

But liberty does not mean license In other words, men’s

liberty of action should not be excessive The French

Revolution is, unfortunately, also the best example of how

men may lose their sense of proportion and justice, in their

attempts to assert their liberty In that revolution hundreds

of innocent men, women, and children lost their lives at

the hands of those who took full advantage of the anarchy

that then prevailed in France, to assert their liberty of

action Such actions are indeed licentious

Thus, it may be argued that liberty will remain the

battle-cry of all oppressed people, but those who have it should

not use it to hurt or offend others or to deprive others of

their liberty