Four Freedoms

81 years ago, on this day the 6th of January, arguably one of the best Presidents of the United States made a famous speech. Commemorated as the ‘Four Freedom’ speech, the freedoms that it enunciated became the core of universal human rights. Adopted by the UN just a few years later, it underlined the evolution of humanity and certain basic values of human civilisation.
Franklin Roosevelt talked of these freedoms while delivering his State of Union address on January 06 1941.
The President said,
“In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential freedoms.
” The first is freedom of speech and expression-everywhere in the world
“The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way-everywhere in the world
“The third is freedom from want-which, translated into world terms, means economic understanding which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants-everywhere in the world
” The fourth is freedom from fear-which translated into world terms, means a worldwide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbour – anywhere in the world”
He further added,”That is no vision of a distant millenium. It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable in our own time and generation.”
This speech was delivered as Hitler, the Nazi Dictator of Germany across the Atlantic was well on his way to dominate and subjugate Europe. And America, then, was committed to an Isolationist policy, of being away from War. Roosevelt, however, could not help observing,’The future and safety of our country and of our democracy are overwhelmingly involved in events far beyond our borders.” But he was apprehensive and doubtful  about Hitler’s overtures of peace made then as he added ,”No realistic American can expect from a dictator  peace, international generosity, or return of true independence, or world disarmament, or freedom of expression, or freedom of religion – or even good business.”
And he warned,”Such a peace would bring no security for us or for our neighbours. Those, who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”As it turned out, America was forced to join the War after Pearl Harbour bombing. The rest is history.Roosevelt died on 12 April 1945, of a brain haemorrhage. he did not see the end of war which happened just a few months later.

7 years later, on December 10, 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, an elaboration and affirmation of the four freedoms Roosevelt talked about.

Contrast the above with what happened a year ago on the same date in the same United States. Supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol in Washington during congressional certification of Joe Biden and Kamla Harris win, resulting in five deaths and prompting evacuation of lawmakers and vice-president Mike Pence.

And in the light of what happened in Punjab with the Indian Prime Minister, just a pointer to our prevailing political discourse of  strife and smallness, of unethical opportunism, of almost total absence of voices of sanity and propriety; all of us need to reflect on what legacies we are contemplating for our present and future!