[lib-er-teen, -tin]  

noun

1.  a person who is morally or sexually unrestrained, a profligate; rake.
2. a freethinker in religious matters.
3. a person freed from slavery in ancient Rome.

For every cop is a criminal, and all the sinners, saints. ~Sympathy For The Devil

 

 

 

I claim with pride my status as a libertine; one liberated of backwards puritanical notions of propriety, rectitude, and integrity. For all that I refuse to accept the bill of goods on offer amidst most religious doctrine that experiencing sensual pleasure in any way undermines human capacity for fidelity to the principles that truly define goodness; decency, compassion, and generosity towards oneself and others.

The devil, after all, is only a cipher for unrestrained indulgence, which is by no means what I advocate; both because of the damage it will inevitably do to the bacchant, but also for the savor it will steal from these pleasures by their constant gratification.

In this season where we strive against the encroaching darkness and aim our attention more pointedly toward the light, it is important to recall that our joy is most often derived from the presence of others and our common experiences of revelry. That what best keeps darkness at bay are throats and ears full of laughter, the warmth of a near heart with open arms, and a satiety that only libation and ailment can truly provide. We are drawn together in these ways, and they are virtuous by that very measure.

And so I raise my glass to these liberties; drink them in!