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Our country is sharply divided. The electoral results uncertain.
But the clear winner is our system.
We have the freedom to have public opinions that are sharply divergent.
And the world is our witness.
We can wash our laundry in public and be okay with it.
China does not have our freedom. They can’t speak against their ruler, Xi Jinping. Imagine that, not being able to write or speak against someone in power.
The same with Russia. There, it is Putin’s word or end up in jail or Siberia. Like brave Alexei Navalny, the Russian hero who died in prison.
America is strong because we are open to diversity. Because different opinions are encouraged and respected. Because we’re willing to experiment with this or that to see what works best.
When human beings feel free, our creativity is stimulated. We want to take chances to try and become the best we can.
I speak here of tolerance of different opinions as a prelude to their detailed scrutiny so we can give appropriate feedback. And yet that has limits, as when the holders of such opinions appear rigidly entrenched in their views.
Autocracies of any kind stymie such process, leading to diminished inventiveness.
In a recent article in a leading newspaper, the author called Yahya Sinwar — the former head of Hamas — a freedom fighter. To many of us, including me, Sinwar was a terrorist whose attack on Israel has led to the deaths of over 1700 Israelis and more than 40…
