“America isn’t easy.”

That’s not a quote original to me. It was said by Michael Douglas as President Andrew Shepherd in the movie “The American President”.

But the speech goes on and here is the rest of his thought:

“America is advanced citizenship. You've gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say, "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.”

One of this country’s foundations set forth by its founding fathers is the right to free speech. You might not like what someone else has to say, but let them have the opportunity to say it.

We appear to have forgotten what that means. So many live in fear of what they can say and what the consequences will be for them if they do say something deemed to be unpopular with one side or the other.

We have become fearful of saying or writing something which could be considered offensive. And in today’s social climate it has become so easy to cross over the line of what is upsetting to others it is sometimes safer to say nothing at all.

I have never been an advocate for censorship, but it is being practiced on so many levels today. Say something bordering on being controversial and watch what happens on Twitter and other social media. Consider the fact that some lose their jobs or positions because of what they have said or placed on social media because of who they may have offended.

There are some things you can’t do like yell “fire” in a crowded venue unless there is one. You can’t openly incite people to violence.

But we all can enter into a free exchange of ideas. Are we all going to agree on everything? No, and that is the point.

Let both sides have a free exchange of ideas. Listen to what is being said. Don’t shout down the opposition. Don’t threaten them with harm of any sort.

Lately, I have been using the statement more and more that “there are two sides to every story”. Guess that is the journalist in me.

But there are also two sides to every belief. Instead of turning a deaf ear we need to listen carefully to both sides, study what has been said and then making an informed decision on what we are going to support.

That is what America is all about. It takes work to be a good citizen. You do have to be tough.