Flood in a townNotes: Sudden rain – Continued for days pdf

Flood in a town
Notes: Sudden rain – Continued for days – Floods – Many
homes washed away – Many people made homeless –
Some drowned – School closed – Hospital full – Much
suffering – Rain stopped – Sunshine again – People
happy.
After a long period of dry weather in my town, it suddenly
began to rain one day. The people were happy.
The rain continued for days. The people then became
worried. Soon there were floods everywhere, which
caused much damage and suffering.
Many houses were washed away by the flood water, and
hundreds of people were made homeless. Some were
also drowned. Schools were closed to provide shelter to
those who were affected by the floods. The hospital was
filled with sick people.
Fortunately, the rain stopped to prevent further damage
and suffering to the people. There was sunshine again
and the people were happy.



Liberty
Since his appearance on the earth, man has instinctively
longed for liberty, an ideal which has inspired revolts and
revolutions throughout the long history of the human race.
The yearning for liberty or freedom is not restricted to man
alone. Even animals, birds and all living creatures love the
freedom that God has given to them. Like men, these
creatures will never submit to captivity without resistance.
Neither will they cease to make tenacious efforts to

escape, once they are captured.
In the early days of their existence, men were free to
pursue their own affairs, within the limits of their own
ability. They moved from place to place in small isolated
groups and families in search of food which consisted of
edible plants, fruits and the flesh of animals. The pursuit of
the means of survival was their only occupation, and the
things that restricted their freedom of movement, to some
extent, were their own fears of the unknown and natural
barriers such as mountains, dense, forests, and rivers.
These were no restraints imposed upon them by human
institutions, and they enjoyed their liberty.
Gradually, men learned to live in communities and various
institutions were established, which soon curtailed their
liberty to a great extent. Rules were made for the cohesion
of each community and obedience to those rules was
secured by the threat of punishment. This element of
compulsion imposed upon the conduct of the individuals in
the community restricted the liberty of the people; but the
greater security that men enjoyed in community life
provided the incentive to partial sacrifices.
Soon, however, conflicts developed among the various
communities. The stronger one conquered the weaker one
and in the contest for power and domination, hundreds of
people lost their liberty completely. The enslavement and
suppression of one group of people by another provided
the stimulus for numerous revolts and revolutions for
liberty which have not ceased till this day. Even in the
same community, sometimes, there were divisions. The
rulers, who came to be known as kings, with the

development of the communities into countries, were at
variance with their subjects. To maintain their status and
to assert their authority, kings developed their own
theories of kingship, and many of them ruled in the most
despotic manner. Defiance of the king’s authority was
punished by death and imprisonment. What constituted
defiance was decided arbitrarily by the king or his
ministers, and thousands of people were deprived of their
liberty.
Eventually, however, despotism aroused the fury of
political thinkers and writers in many countries. A crusade
then began against oppression and despotism, and the cry
for liberty was heard everywhere. Revolutions erupted;
despotic rulers were overthrown, and new rulers were
compelled to rule with the consent of the people. The
French Revolution of the eighteenth century is the best
example of the extremity to which people were prepared to
go to retain or regain their liberty, which is claimed to be
the birth-right of every man.
But liberty does not mean license. In other words, men’s
liberty of action should not be excessive. The French
Revolution is, unfortunately, also the best example of how
men may lose their sense of proportion and justice, in their
attempts to assert their liberty. In that revolution hundreds
of innocent men, women, and children lost their lives at
the hands of those who took full advantage of the anarchy
that then prevailed in France, to assert their liberty of
action. Such actions are indeed licentious.
Thus, it may be argued that liberty will remain the battle-
cry of all oppressed people, but those who have it should

not use it to hurt or offend others or to deprive others of
their liberty.