One day the owner of this fish decided that it was a shame to waste all that water just so the goldfish could live comfortably, so the owner removed a cup of water and told the fish that it was really for its own good and that he would never miss the water. The goldfish didn?t mind. He didn?t even really notice that his environment had shrunken slightly. Over the next few weeks the owner would occasionally remove another cup of water - each time with the remark that the goldfish really didn?t need all of that water anyhow. As the goldfish?s world became smaller, he noticed that he wasn?t as free as he once was and the water was now a bit more cloudy then it used to be, but he could still swim back and forth in his tank without experiencing any genuine discomfort. The rate at which the water was being withdrawn was so gradual that the goldfish never saw his own doom approaching. One day, the goldfish noticed that he now seemed to be spending all of his time at the bottom of the tank next to the gravel. He could no longer swim up and down in the tank, but since he could still swim forward and to the right and the left, he merely frowned and tried to make the best of his situation. At least he was still being fed every day, and the water was still the right temperature. Finally, however, the day came when the owner removed a cup of water and the goldfish noticed that his dorsal fin was exposed unless he stayed in just one small area of the tank where there was a small depression in the gravel. He began to worry, but had to be careful about how he moved around now. He also noticed that he was feeling more lethargic - primarily because the water could not hold sufficient oxygen. That night the heater was turned off in the tank, but since it was winter and the tank sat near a heat vent, the goldfish just remained still to conserve energy. When dawn came the next day, the owner removed one more cup of water and finally the goldfish saw his own doom approaching. Barely able to think clearly due to oxygen deprivation, he yearned for the old days when the tank was filled to the top with clear, sparkling water, but the memory of those days was quickly fading. That evening, the owner saw the goldfish lying on its side, its fins barely moving. He shrugged and turned out the light as he left the room. In the morning the goldfish was dead. He had been dying for a long time and had not realized it. So it is with the society that we live in today. We do not recognize that every so gradually our freedoms are being taken from us. We desperately hope that those who have the power in this country will have compassion on us and we are too frightened of what they might do to us if we anger them by being ungrateful for the few remaining freedoms that we still posses.