Stretching across what seemed to be a football field or two in my memories, was a plot of grass between the buildings of East Berlin and the Berlin Wall. I remember standing looking over the graffiti painted wall, wondering how many people died trying to cross that innocent looking field. Crossing in hopes of freedom.
East Berlin, still riddled with bullet holes in some buildings, seemed to be a dark, mute type of place, even when the sun was out. Any talking that went on, seemed to be held at a whisper, a murmur. Not loud enough to block out the click, click, click, click, of the soldier's footsteps as he patrolled the street. You move over to the next street, there is another pair of boots, belonging to another guard, patrolling that street.
Even if there wasn't a guard there, which most times than many, this wasn't much of a possiblilty, there were cameras posted everywhere. Just watching, contemplating, scrutinizing your every move, just looking for a reason to take your freedom away.
I was 15, when I realized what freedom meant, and why it was important to be an American. At that same age, I understood the flag burning, not that I agreed with it, but at the same token, being an American gave you the freedom to express what you felt, what you believed.
I learned the importance of our Constitution, and how through the years it's been read between the lines, misunderstood on purpose to contribute to someone's personal advances.
I learned I didn't understand why we seperated our races, Caucasian, Afro-American, Asian-American, etc. It seemed important to me to believe we all live as one country. That we all live as Americans.
I was 15 years old, looking over Dead Man's Land, full of land mines, and guards pointing guns in your direction, waiting to take someone down.
I realized that I've met people that don't realize what they have, and what will soon be taken away from them if they don't watch what goes on outside their little bubbles of life.
The Bubble is but a trap and a blinder. People don't understand how much everything outside of their own little worlds affects everything around them. And that type of blindness can be deadly.
They are blind to the fact, that if they don't vote, they take away their voice in the entire arena of being an American. They figure, my one vote won't count for anything. My one vote.
If somebody were to gather up all the "my one votes" and combine them all, I bet things would be exceptionally different today.
Privacy is a big freedom we have. The forefathers of the Constitution realized this. They knew what government was capable of. They knew of the freedoms that were stripped from them.
Today, we have credit cards that track everything we buy, the credit card companies then sell a list to other individual companies so that they may entice you into their business. This is without your knowledge or permission.
Most stores are the same now, they ask for your zip code to keep track of items are being sold in a certain area.
Banks now have thumbprints and the newest technology of retina scans. Perhaps it's intended to keep you safe, but at what cost to your privacy?
Cars have global network systems that can track you anywhere you are, tell you have fast you are going, and tell you where to go. At what cost of your freedom of privacy?
Between satellites that can take a picture of you, and see the print of the brand of cigarette you are smoking, tracking devices like the one in the cars, infomation via retina scans, and what you bought for your mother last mother's day, it should strike fear in your heart.
If that doesn't, this should. At this point of time, we do not, as Americans, have any privacy laws to the items mentioned.
Next thing you know, one can be tracked via social security number and a chip in their body. Every action noted and recorded. Think about that.
I am no longer 15, I am no longer looking at Dead Man's Land, but I'm scared. Scared to think where the next patch of innocent looking grass will appear next.
