With all the recent instances of free speech being assaulted either on the macro level in Washington, D.C. as well as on a micro level, I had a flashback to this cherished freedom that we all used to be able to share in—and which seems to be on a slippery slope of erosion—to when I was a freshman at LSU back in 1977 and a roommate with my best friend Scott Vincent.

With a little levity/”tongue in cheek” imparted in this piece like Smiley Anders of the Advocate does so well everyday, humor is something that can bring all of us together.

Here we were, transplants from Uptown New Orleans—both the Most Holy Name of Jesus Grammar School grads—but Scott went to Jesuit and I to De La Salle!

Once, when we were walking toward the LSU Student Union, we saw someone standing at the top of the steps and heard him speaking loud about some issue near and dear to his heart.

Yes, there were jeers and cheers echoing off and on from the onlookers, and even from both Scott and me, since “DLS Cavaliers” and “Jesuit Blue Jays” had differences of opinion at times.

But Scott and I found a way to still respectfully listen without violence—just like those others in attendance at that LSU Union gathering.

Just at that moment, I happened to spy an eagle flying overhead. What a thrill that was, as it reminded me then of the origins for our great country and that cherished First Amendment to the Constitution!

This “Free Speech Alley,” as we found out it was called, provided a great forum for diverse thoughts to be shared with respectful tolerance, however heated it may have gotten at times, and without any violence.

Fast forward to the here and now, with social media platforms and spectrums galore that were not even imagined to be able to be available to us back in 1977, and some of which even seem to promote censorship, which is diametrically opposed to the First Amendment!

Why are some folks uncomfortable listening to those who have a difference of opinion? That’s how we all learn and grow, right?

Here is my modest and simple proposal, as a licensed clinical social worker advocating for enhancing open communications, for all of us to find more ways to be civil and respectful in our engagements and discourses with others that is sorely needed nowadays, and as we approach Halloween, we need to consider this for possible encounters with aliens, as our government has even acknowledged:

“Conversation Rules of Engagement” recommended for us and as we prepare for more engagements with one another and UAPs (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) / UFOs:

1. No hidden agenda.

2. No goal to change the other being/person’s opinion.

3. A chance to listen and to learn from each other.