Freedom House a human rights organization which ranks countries in term of freedom each year says that freedom lost ground in 2009. It cited the countries where freedom seemed worse, and as I read it was easy to feel disheartened. And then I began to get email upon email about the earthquake in Haiti, some giving me the names of organizations through which I could contribute, some telling me where that person had given. Not since the famine in Ethiopia over 20 years ago have I seen such a deep and heartfelt sense of caring. Then after the nth expression I remembered that no matter what good work Freedom House does, no matter how helpful their numbers may be, there’s something they didn’t factor in, caring. As long as there’s caring freedom is safe because it is that need for expressing caring that also feeds our need to be free.