{"id":56990,"date":"2024-01-26T11:15:10","date_gmt":"2024-01-26T10:15:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/institutodelbienestar.com\/live-without-harming\/publications\/express-yourself-if-you-wish-and-let-others-express-themselves\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T12:38:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T10:38:15","slug":"express-yourself-if-you-wish-and-let-others-express-themselves","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/institutodelbienestar.com\/en\/live-without-harming\/publications\/express-yourself-if-you-wish-and-let-others-express-themselves\/","title":{"rendered":"EXPRESS YOURSELF IF YOU WISH AND LET OTHERS DO THE SAME"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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LIVE WITHOUT HARMING! EXPRESS YOURSELF IF YOU WISH AND LET OTHERS DO THE SAME <\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Did you know that only 23% of the world’s population lives in a relatively open environment where there is considerable freedom of expression? In the rest of the countries, harm or even great suffering is inflicted on innocent people simply for exercising their right to free expression. For example, in Iran, the religious police beat women simply for not dressing or wearing the veil as they believe is correct. To make matters worse, if they demonstrate against this oppression, they are shot in the face and genitals, imprisoned, tortured and raped.<\/span><\/p>

In many places, people who spoke their minds were burned at the stake, and in fact, in many countries, they are still imprisoned, tortured and murdered. Even among the most civilized countries (or least uncivilized, depending on how you look at it), showing who you are can lead to beatings or job exclusion, as is the case with cross-dressers<\/span>. Another example is that of fundamentalist Islamists who, in European neighborhoods, attack Jews wearing the kippah or harass women who do not dress modestly.<\/span><\/p>

Read LIVE WITHOUT HARMING! Not even the LGBTQ+ community<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/span><\/p>

Combat fundamentalist Islamist tyranny<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/p>

Without going so far, other less intense forms of harm include stigmatizing, rejecting, pointing, mocking, gossiping, despising, judging or unfairly condemning people who express themselves outside a standard but without harming anyone.<\/p>

This occurs especially in environments that are traditionalist<\/u><\/a><\/span>, authoritarian<\/a><\/span><\/span>, gregarious<\/u><\/a><\/span>, ultra-religious<\/u><\/a><\/span>, authoritarian far-right<\/u><\/a><\/span>, liberticidal far-left<\/u><\/a><\/span>, and sheep-like<\/u><\/a><\/span>. It is typical of societies or groups governed by strict dogmas, invented doctrines, conventionalisms they call “good customs,” and taboos, some of which are absurd.<\/p>

Oppose poisonous dogmatism<\/em><\/a><\/span><\/p>

Think for yourself and avoid toxic indoctrination<\/em><\/a><\/span><\/p>

In Japan, there is a saying that the nail that sticks out must be hammered down. In other countries, there are other idioms, such as “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Oppression of free self-expression can be social,<\/u><\/a><\/span> political<\/u><\/a><\/span> (saying anything that deviates from the government-mandated orthodoxy is punished), religious <\/u><\/a><\/span>or several of these at the same time.<\/p>

However, since we are free, we have the right to be ourselves, to be authentic, to express our uniqueness and creativity, and to show ourselves as we are, always without harming anyone, except in legitimate self-defense.<\/p>

RESPECT OTHER PEOPLE’S FREEDOM<\/em><\/a><\/span><\/p>

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And we also have the freedom to give our opinions, even if some people do not like them, provided it is done without defaming or harmfully lying, and without hate speech or harming innocent people. In fact, Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights<\/u><\/a><\/span> states:<\/p>

\u201cEveryone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression<\/strong>; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.\u201d<\/em><\/p>

Freedom of expression is not only a human right but a necessity that is healthy to satisfy and makes us feel good. Furthermore, it enriches society in multiple ways:<\/p>