What is freedom?
Do you know what real freedom is?
Does anybody know what it is?
Is it possible to know it?
Well, let’s discuss 
From my own philosophical studies on this subject on works written in 1954 by Mr Hubbard (golden essay Trapped) I came to understand this subject much better and I would like to brief about it.
First of all there is a difference in freedom from and real freedom.
Freedom from is easy to understand. That would be like freedom from entrapment like a prison or such similar thing.
So let’s speak about freedom from a bit.
A guy finally get’s released from prison after 10 years, now he is free. Well, free from the prison that is.
Now, is that guy now more free than for example you or me? Subjective maybe yes.
Actually any physical thing (matter, energy, space and time) can be a barrier and thus entrap you. And on the other side of the coin is that any thing, really, can entrap you mentally. You can imagine being in a prison while you actually are not.
But let us assume and take an example were the guy is sane.
You for example. Are you free in the definition free from?
Yes and no. Everything is relative. You are also trapped, did you know that?
You cannot leave this planet, you are stuck in time and you cannot even fly like a bird. Pretty trapped if you look on the extreme.
So we didn’t get so far with freedom from, it’s all physical, subjective and relative.
Let’s talk about the real freedom.
How would a mountain climber be more free?
Well, let’s look at it. His purpose is to climb mountains. So if he would achieve that he would achieve happiness.
So, how would he easier achieve it? By being more able to do it.
The way to freedom goes through higher ability.
Hi,
Just a couple of thoughts,
You claim that nothing, or nobody, can be truly free until they free themselfs from the bounderies of matter, time and so on.
Lets discuss
If someone suddenly freed themselfs from this entrapment and became truley free it would be pretty hard for them to exist. Due to matter, time and space is the definition of existing things.
Modern physics claims that electrons never relly exists until you look at them, thus entraping them. Which makes us conclude that if a person doesnt exist and you suddenly look at him, he is entraped.
So you can exist without being trapt, im sorry
In conclusion: nobody can be relly free.
regards
/David
woops, sorry thats:
“can’t exist without being trapt, im sorry”
/David
To whom it may concern,
Freedom is the opprotunity to own your own destiny, within the limits of reason and morality. One has the power to make their own priorities and to act upon them accordingly. However, freedom has to be balanced with order. When one’s freedom constricts another’s freedom it has gone too far and there will undoubtedly be consequences. Sometimes harsh consequences. Examples of this would be murder and rape, for which persecution would later ensue. Everyone has the freedom to control their own thoughts, which can never be taken away. (Unless they’re crazy, in which case nevermind. And I’m not being funny about this.) Even in societies where freedom is limited, thought and emotions are untouched by these restrictions.
THE END!…oh, and peace out!!
How do you that we can control our own thoughts?
Lets examine 1984 (the book),
You, as an reader, understand that the world of Big Brother is an evil and dark future. Does the people in it? I still remember the last sentence: “I love Big Brother”
Our mind is not ours because it looks at the world around us and make assumptions.
This is not just true in fiction, look at Nazi Germany or North Korea, are these people dumber then us?
Propaganda, the art of controlling peoples minds, is understandibly a must in every nation figthing a war. Even if its a war on terrorism.
/David
argh, again… i whish there was an edit button…
How do you know that we can control our own thoughts?
of course
/david
I believe the proof we can control our own thoughts is in the fact that we can ask that question.
People in Nazi Germany for example, were never allowed to question the propoganda being used by the government; indeed, Hitler started the war partly as a way of taking their minds off this issue.
If our thoughts are being controlled, then whoever controls them is allowing us to ask these questions, and presumably will guide us to the answers they want us to hear, thus making the discussion pointless.
Suchs questions is really the problem, if we return to North Korea probobly any person walking the streets, “What do you think of USA?” they would, without a doubt say “I hate them!”
In North Korea most people belive that they have problems around them, such as starvation, lack of medical supplies etc but the reason they are not revolting is that they belive that the world around them is far worse off. This one of the reasons USA won´t invade NK. Every man, women and child would try to stop them from making their life even worse (even though i suppose USA wouldn´t try to destroy the country but rather rebuild it).
The people of NK wouldn´t ask the question “Perhaps USA is a better place to live?” because this is a fact that doesn´t exist for them.
“But still, our thoughts are free” you say?
Well if the people of NK can be fooled so can we. I´m not trying to make up some radical Consperation theory, i just want to say:
Which question hav´nt we asked yet?
I think that there is no such thing as being free because there is always going to be something there for some one to say why you can’t do something. note: I’m only 15 so you will probably just blow this off
Amber has a point, there will always be rules. But there is freedom. We live with incredible freedom in the USA. We can insult our president, practice our own religion, print what we want to, go anywhere we want pretty much. In other countries… this would get you killed… I luv teh US of A!
What ever . who evers web site this is, it was really fun writing on here but I have to go to my next class. Thanks for your time!!@!!!!!!!
Good discussion but I had to delete some …
Have you put FREEDOM in perspective and do you have a clue?
I don’t know the difference between being FREE AND BOUND because I grew up in a FREE ENVIRONMENT with parents that supported me no matter what …
My father fought for Europe’s FREEDOM and my mother was a teen in World War II. The fight for freedom was inevitable and anyone with half a mind fought against communism and its beliefs because it is an unrealistic idea.
Have you ever been confined? Have you ever felt the pain of being constrained?
Do we know what we are discussing?
Freedom is a belief and FREEDOM IS what you and I make of it at any time whenever we want to. All it takes is YOU AND ME to believe and trust.
FREEDOM IS A BELIEF and I do believe in FREEDOM and I DO BELIEVE that FREEDOM WILL PREVAIL.
DO NOT EVER DOUBT IN YOUR BELIEF AND DO NOT EVER QUESTION YOUR PURPOSE. EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON AND THE BEST WILL COME OF IT ALL.
Hehe, the last thing you wrote,
“DO NOT EVER DOUBT IN YOUR BELIEF AND DO NOT EVER QUESTION YOUR PURPOSE. EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON AND THE BEST WILL COME OF IT ALL.”
This makes me belive that you have a deterministic view towards life. Still you claim to have freedom?
There is no way at all that determinism and freedom can be one. If there is a great plan for everything in life nobody can choose anything, neither can you. So you see, you can´t be raised to be a free man because you never had a choise… not even once.
Lets take a look, your father fougth in ww2 in Europe which probebly saved western Germany from Soviet-Communism. Should the western german people be thankfull towards England, usa and everyone else who fougth? I would lean to saying yes, but with your deterministic view towards life you´re saying no, why should people be thankful? It´s not like he had a choise to do anything diffrent.
I don´t belive in a deterministic view of life. Things happen at random or as a reason from another random event.
It´s true that there are diffrent kinds of freedom or diffrent degrees of freedom but i guess the things we discuss here is “is our mind free?”
But I didn´t relly understand your views on freedom.
“FREEDOM IS what you and I make of it at any time whenever we want to.”
What´s that? So if Stalin said to his people, you are all free men and women? This makes the word freedom a word that can mean anything…. If i missunderstood, please educate me.
Regards
/David
Freedom is a belief? Are you serious? I need to know what freedom is for a report due this week and this website is not helping!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
What exactly is freedom? Doesn’t it mean that you could do whatever you want. It can’t because then people would be killing their selves and other people with out getting in trouble and the world would be a wreck!! Someone please tell me what freedom is so I am not asking myself that question all the time!!
Harry
Emily and Harry (same person), I think that for each person you will ask you will get a different answer. That is how philosophy is. I think the important thing is what you believ it is.
It would be interesting if you left some comments here on what you came up with in your report.
What kinds of freedoms do I have a a American that citizens of other nations do not?
What can I do to show I am Free?
Look at the human rights, that might give you some ideas.
It depends on how you define “free”, and the definition of “free” varies from different people.
I learned that freedom has a different meaning to every single person. Everyone has a different view of what freedom means to them. It’s just what you believe it means. Am I right? I got an A on my report. So Freedom is just what you believe it is!!
You got an A, that is great Harry!!
I think freedom is not being in jail, having the chance to do what you want for a job, and it is nice to be free. But it is not really free. But most people don’t want to realize that it is not free. Because most people are to into them selfs. So they don’t really think about it until a teacher tells you to wright a report about what you think about what freedom is and most people won’t do the report.
Emily,
You also had to do a report? How did it go? You didn’t do it?
Damn you guys are bored. Bot so am I.
So here’s my thought.
Freedom is a mental condition-a condition of the spirit. All of us are free, if we but choose to acknowledge it. The essence of your “self” is your mind, soul, and spirit. We all are always free to change our thoughts, improve our knowledge and understanding, change our attitudes and beliefs-the inner part of each of us. We all are free in our minds. Even if we are held captive or imprisoned we are free. Although it is in our mind, we can do what we wish in there. All of life is a thought, the mind recognizes when you are physically free or not its work of instincts.
Ofcourse this only reflects on sane people not insane.
Rafael,
Your comment is probably the one that I agree with most. Good thoughts!
Congrats harry, post your project so we can read it!
Rafael, i relly respect your opinion on this one but what makes you conclude that our mind is free?
Its so hard to discuss that question because we all look at the world with our own eyes. Things i find important migth probably be unimportant to you
My thougts of freedom is (being a liberal) that amout of freedom you have is in direct proportion with the amount of choises you have.
If you can chose to buy milk from your neighbor our from the local store, if you can choose who governs you and who doesnt…
That is real freedom.
PS gotta love this discussion
DS
your freedom stops when others freedom starts!
It seems a discussion of freedom, and hence morality, depends upon we whether we have decided we identify with the ephemeral matter and thought, or spirit-souls.
I notice discussion tends to move in any direction where freedom is freedom from something relative, like USA life, embodied human life on earth, and on to morality. The last one, morality includes the inevitable warning of freedom to kill, and prohibitions.
Morality concerns conditioned being (not being free), good and bad, conforming and not, with this fear of our own physical death in there somewhere. And the issue is not so much one of killing, but of hurting, because it is upon souls that pain is inflicted, including fear of death, not upon things.
Before you wonder what is to stop me killing indiscriminately, let me say my true self has nothing to gain or lose, and is fearless of mortality, death, as it is not identical with the body. Either it is true or false. Do you have the right answer?
I say our true selves have no impulse to kill, because when conscious in truth, there is no desire to kill, and in truth killing cannot be done. The thing you want to kill cannot be killed, especially if it exists…that is spirit.
Only if we know truth can we be free, from indoctrination and from things, and even then, only if truth is we are spirit -souls.
suspect people kill either because they want to be free of something that they kill, not because they are free…..
Full Reply is posted it here, too much for a comment:
http://plum.nfshost.com/journal/spiritsoultruth.html
.
Hmm,
Your link is broken John :/
Freedom is the absence of existence.
Through our entrapment, we exist. If we were not entraped then we would be non existent. this is not because we wouldn’t physically exist, but because our prspective and ordering of the Universe would not exist. Through entrapments we are motivated. Motivation works the human mind. Humans are just evolved molecular processes that function through entrapments. These molecular processes carry out functions that are proportional to something. I am not exactly sure to what they are proportional to, but they are proportional to something. (Wow. Those last two sentences look really stupid). The purpose of these molecular processes is to carry out functions that create other molecular processes, inanimate and animate. The human mind is evolved from these molecular processes, and the processes use a system in which sets certain “goals” to carry out these functions. I mean goals as in the wanted results of the functions. Freedom is the accomplishing of these functions. The functions and processes are on small scale, and they build up larger functions and processes. So freedom is different for different people because there are so many functions and processes that build up larger functions and processes that not all of them can be done. This self reward system is what perpetuates our existence. I typed in earlier that the human mind is evolved from a multitude of molecular processes. I would just like to point out that I am a Christian and I believe in God, even though I believe in evolution too. What makes me different from other people is that I do not need a compromise between ideas to be satisfied. I can keep them seperate in my mind. I hope this paragraph was helpful, and I hope it wasn’t confusing. If it was confusing or unhelpful, then I apologize. Thank you for your time with reading this paragraph. Bye.
I was reading some of the other comments posted above and I read rafaels’s comment:
I thought this was a very good idea, except for a few things I disagree with.
You said above that people are free because they can change their thoughts. You point out that freedom is really a perspective, and no matter what physical things are happening to a person, they can change their thoughts. I think this was good, except you speak of the potential of freedom, rather than freedom itself. If someone thinks they are not free, even if they are free, then that person is not free. You can not change the outside, but only react to it. Freedom is just moving to another room in the castle. Even if you change your thoughts and perspectives, your mind must see in the perspective you set for yourself, so you are not exactly free. For example, if a person is held captive, or is improsoned, they can change their mind to feel that their imprisonment is a good thing. Even though you are free from your bad thoughts, you are trapped in your good, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Freedom is often associated with good, and entrapment (I hope I spelled that correct) is often associated with bad, but entrapment isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as I showed in my example above. Another example would be that you escape from a country that is after you. You are now free from the country that s chasing you, but you are entrapted somewhere else. I still thought that your perspective on this issue was good, and it has firm Psychological roots. If you ever study cognitive psychology, you will learn all about things like what you wrote.
that was awesome bravo
hi my name is bibi,
and let me tell you something about freedom of speech in the U.S.A.
freedom of speech in the united states is generally protected by the first amendment to the united states constitution. however, there are many expception to this general rule. including the Miller test for obsenity greater regulation of so called commerical speech, such as advertising
Freedom doesnt exist, just as nothing doesnt exist. To be free is to be nothing. No ties no boundaries, no barriers. Freedom is to not exist. Freedom as a human being is to be born. When you are created you are free as a human being no matter where or what situation you are in. You will always be human.
I live in Finland, Europe and we can also insult our democratically elected president and other politicians, practice our own religion (christianity, islam, buddhism, ateism, whatever we want), we can go anywhere we want, travel any country we want, read what we want, say and publish what we want etc. etc.
Aren’t we free? I think we are.
What is so special in America’s freedom?
Good stuff, guys. I need this for school.
I agree with you Janne. I live in Sweden and it’s the same here.
Rhys,
Good! Harry the commenter above got an A on his report. Hope it goes the same good for you.
Damn, very much spirituality over here…
Freedom is a rather simple thing, though, and has nothing to do with the state of our mind; it isn’t subjective and relative.
The reality is objective and can’t be influenced by our thoughts and wishes, only by our actions. Therefore, the physical world can’t be a limiting factor on our freedom (or freedom would be impossible). But indeed, the actions of other humans can: when others ask you to sacrifice you life for theirs sake, you are not longer free, your life has become a means for them to reach their aims.
Freedom can be defined as the absence of coercion, coming from other human beings.
(your logic is a little bit faulty in the article, Jim: you tell us that we are not =free from= because we can’t “leave this planet”, but that is plain wrong, since leaving this planet is a definite =freedom to= . There is no coercion in the fact that it is hard to leave this planet physically: you are free to leave since no one holds you here, but it will be difficult for you and probably cost a lot of money. This doesn’t mean you are trapped)
In this perspective, it seems to me that people in no single country are really free: we are all forced to pay taxes, for instance. But Americans are sure much more free than Swedes =)))
I am doing a project on freedom and it is very harding because i think freedom is the power to whatever when ever
PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!
by the way i live the United States
Anthony,
You have here a lot of texts and comments, I am sure that will help you. Good luck with your project.
Hi, I’m currently working on my homework about freedom and I happened to find this site. Thanks for the opinions, guys.
This will help me a lot.
Anyway…
Refael’s opinion was lifted from an essay by Julie Watner.
Read the whole text here: http://users.aol.com/vlntryst/defin.html
It would have been better if you cited your source, Rafael.
Thanks for the opinions, guys http://www.sernak.com
I am not free. While, I am free to explore and learn what I want on the internet and elsewhere where there are resources available (should they be available or free), The internet has captured my mind, body and soul. Am I free to stay awake or does my mind enslave me to continue to read on and continue my search more information about topics that shouldn’t really matter to my otherwise exciting life? I need to wake up soon and I’ve yet to sleep. I’m a slave to my own thirst for knowledge, which sounds good… but really, it may be a feeling of inadequacy or a feeling of not being smarter than anyone else in this discussion.
btw to quote gustav “Freedom can be defined as the absence of coercion, coming from other human beings. ”
how about mind control from these damn interesting message boards talking about freedom? is this considered coercion? or willful surrender? Either way, I am captured… where do I get out?.. oh.. looks like laptop is gonna die… i’m no longer free to browse the net. gnite
this still did not tell me what freedom was are..what freedom is all about.
I preach a great deal about freedom. Freedom implies the opposite of imprisonment. The Bushmen of South Africa were free. Possession did not cross their minds. Everything on the Earth was free. Now they must pay a price. Freedom does not equal Free. If you own something, it belongs to you, or better yet you belong to it. Each year I go hiking on the Appalachian trail, just to semi-experience freedom. Free from my home, car, pets, job, boss, kids, shopping, bank, responsibilities, etc. The hiking takes me down to the basic concept of freedom, “survival”. We are all free to survive, but the cost of freedom is all the things I hike to get away from. After all “Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose”. Rock and Roll.
Freedom has a lot of meanings, as we can see, a lot of people say a lot of things, and they just wanna add something to what the other person said above him.
someone said that freedom is when your thoughs are free
and than come another person and says, but if you were a prisioner and for make your living less painfull, in your mind, you make it free??
Commom….
It will be a freedom when you look at the sky and don’t see bombs being launched to somebody else, someones nation.
It will be freedom when U’ll be able to sit under a tree and listen to the birds singing, and the sun rising.
It will be freedom when you just stop in a street and try to listening the sounds around you, and no one you’ll be loocking at you as if you are some kind of crazy
It will be freedom when U’ll be able to take a deep breath, and after the deep breath you have absolut no worries..
When your mind is in peace, there, …, you’ll be free!
Freedom is good to have
thank a veteran!!!!
FOR ME THE FREEDOM IS ALSO A NEW WAY FOR OURSELF TO EXPRESS MORE ON OUR FEELING AND DESIRES TO BE A HUMAN AND ALSO A PART OF THE WORLD
Very good comments by all… I am a college student studying architecture! I am applying for University and a creative writing excercise is required for my application portfolio… I love phylosiphy and topics of life.
I would first like to say that freedom or any topic for that matter is to everyone a separate identity… And… Maybe that is freedom… Maybe being human in its simplist form is being free… no law, government, or religion, only your mind and what it alows you to believe… I once had a highschool prof tell me that facts don’t matter, its your opinions that mean something. What makes something right and what makes something wrong is only confined to what we make of it… just like time does not exist… how can time exist when the universe goes on forever? Time is a measurment we humans create to give us purpose. So freedom in your mind i believe is when u are not bound by government, law, or other streams of other peoples beliefs.
Seperate from the mind i believe there is a phisical freedom that can be achieved… although this is much harder in modern day life due to the abundance of “consumerism” and “social trends” that most ppls (peoples) modern day life revolves around. Bob makes a good point about getting away from these constraints… and I believe bob finds a physical freedom when he travels on his trails as a caveman or nomad would back in the earliest times of man.
Although freedom can be hard to achieve in modern day life i believe a person can find what freedom means to them… or close to…. some believe freedom is not existing, that this world confides them in everything they do… going back to a caveman, free, maybe, he can believe whatever he wishes and is not confined by space, but he is confined to what the world gives him. The caveman still has to eat, hunt, and survive. Therefore he is forced to do something by another force.
I live in Canada and as a modern day person i believe i am as close to freedom i can achieve on this planet… As a Canadian we are not strongly tied to our government as sometimes (generalising) Americans are. We do not grow up as patriot to our country and the beliefs it stands for as the Americans do. It may sound like we don’t love our country but we do… maybe more than the americans do… but we love the fact that we are not forced apon by our government… we are taught in school to have open minds and to create opinions on our own… take the facts, take the opinions of others and create your own… don’t create bias and look at the whole picture… this is why we love our country… and this is what gets us a step closer in freedom.
With all that being said i truely believe that humans will never find total freedom… our nature is to always want to define things and put restrictions on everything. We gave ourselves time to give what we did purpose and meaning. Humans can imagine or wrap their heads around the idea or infinity because everything we do in our life has an end. Even when the entire human race as we know it will be whiped out, time as we have defined it, will still go on.
I know it may be off topic but i want to leave you guys with a thought… its something ive always wondered ever since i studied infinities in math.
So if time isn’t real, if one second doesn’t exist, if the universe goes on forever, (and for you ppl who don’t think the universe goes on forever when does it end? and if it does, whats on the other side of it?) what is making us exist? 1 in infinity (mathimatically) Does not exist.
Also, lets say u take a person and strip them down to their simplist form, a body, and 5 sences (what we call a brain). If you strip a human of those sences… does anything exist? is there a wall infront of you if you cant see it? feel it? smell it? taste it? hear it?
don’t reply to on this website… just want u to think!!!
u now know why im in architecture… i can’t spell
Have you ever stopped just to watch? To watch other people go about their daily lives and have you ever wondered what their lives are like or what they are thinking at that moment? Whether it is at school or just out on the street when you’re with you friends or by your self? Just to take a few seconds and observe everything around you.
For the past few days I have been stopping to watch, to watch my friends talk or mess about, to watch as a person crosses the street, and what I have realised is that everybody is connected is someway or another. Be them rich or poor, famous or unknown we all have some thing in common, life….. We take it for granted everyday, we put it on the line every time we make a cup of tea or when we walk to school, they very thing we fear` to lose, we gamble it every time we make choice to do something, for people it is a rush, for others it is a fear of loss that no amount of grieving or remembrance will ever replace for it is fragile that the smallest trip could take it away as quickly as it was given. It makes you think “What can I do then to reduce the risk of losing it” and real answer is nothing, the funny thing about life is that it can bring you happiness and love but also sadness and the feeling that no one in the world understands or cares about us, but no one in world can ever be understood unless they want to be deep in their heart,
I think that is real freedom
simple, freedom is “YOU” think of it.
Isaiah 61 (New International Version)
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
Freedom is NOT do whatever you want….or as the dictionary prescribes, “The right to unrestricted use; full access”
It is living according to our original design; which is contrary to our first nature. It is only in being transformed from slavery to our carnal mentality, and selfish desires- to selflessness and irreversible slavery to Christ.
GOod Job With Homework
I believe there is no such thing as freedom. Even if you lived in a remote bushland with no human beings around for miles and miles you would still not be totally free as you would be depending on the environment, the weather, wild animals, so you would have to protect yourself against the cold or the heat, protect yourself against wild animals. So in my opinion there is no such thing as freedom.
Stephanie
What is Freedom? Freedom as an absolute is a fantasy. In this context there is no freedom. But, being a social psychologist, let me define freedom in a relative way.
Freedom is your ability to carryout decisions(either good or bad). Wheither this is a right or a privilege is another matter. What decisions your are allowed to make and if they are good or bad may depend on the society one lives in.
Freedom is not a static value. If you make good (wise) decisions you are awarded with more freedom. If you make bad (destructive) decisions, freedom is taken away.
The problem in society today is that most people equate freedom with the right to make bad decisions(this is only a small part of the picture). This being the case, they are having a hand in systematicly taking freedom away from society.
Giving up Freedom for Security is another class of bad decision making.
People may do this to stem the anxiety one feels in these uncertain times. Paradoxicly, loss is a cause of anxiety. While in the short term it feels safe to do so, in the long run, not being able to make your own decisions will cause more anxiety(and perhaps a downward spiral).
life brings us happiness and sadness, which ,as long as exist we’ll never have the thing so called freedom. our feelings may be affected by any small thing that happen in the daily life, making us feel good or bad. all these feelings will largely restrict our behaviors in school or at work. a scholarship candidate whose mom just died in the morning can hardly deliver a wonderful speech as he expected ,even if he tried really hard to temporarily forget about the sadess. humam beings can never gain real freedom coz they care about things and people. ask the question, how can a bird fly high when it is tied with a rope.
freedom is when we r allowed to be who we want to be
Hi, I’m froim Brazil and I couldn’t stop looking at your comments. First of all I don’t really think that we are free, because when our freedom “starts” it conflicts with the freedom of other people. And about what was mention about the US people being more free than the rest I have to disagree and I recomend you to enter http://www.crazylaws.com , and you’ll see how Americans ain’t as free as “they” say.
Hi all, I am from Pakistan and living in US for last 7 years. I will like to share an article with you plp. It’s really interesting and talks about the freedom in Pakistan.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6587129.stm
“Freedom is the ability of individuals to be able to recognize who they are and what it means to be able to express themselves openly in whatever way, through whatever medium or form. We are never free until we are able to recognize that being free starts with freeing our minds and continues with freeing our lives from the negativity that surrounds us.” (yasene shpherd, 2007)
i think freedom is democracy, no rules and the right to do what u want.
But imagine if everyone did what they want would it work?
NO it would be complete chaos.
Freedom is lettig other people be free as well.
Has anyone ever seen Dead Poets Society?
Well, I am using this movie as a stimulus for a report.
Most people are doing the set topics: Education, Tradition, etc.
Although I petitioned and demanded to do a topic of my own choice.
I chose freedom. If anyone here has ever seen the movie DPS then you may understand. I chose this because when Neil Perry takes his own life to be free… is death his freedom? Was he freed by the gun?
Is death, the end or the beginning? If freedom in fact does not exist what are we running from, or too? What it is that we are all trying so desparately to shun or achieve? Was Neil Perry’s (character) death in vain, or death the only freedom? To no longer exist? For existance, is enclosure or entrappment? The ama-gi, a Sumerian cuneiform word, is the earliest known written symbol representing the idea of freedom.
The English word “freedom” comes from an Indo-European root that means “to love.” Cognates of the English word “freedom” include the Old High German word for “peace” and our English word “afraid” from a Vulgar Latin word for breaking the peace. Is freedom achievable, what is it there to achieve? Is it fear, separating us from the life that we do not need, although yearn for in shadow? The word freedom in one form, means to love, what does that mean to you?
i am learning about freedom at school and i would like you to list all the freedom’s that you can think of prity please. that would be verry kind and then every one can have the freedom to look at all of them !
i think freedom is a spirit but it is more thought about n less lived and even if it is lived it creates problems
It is obvious that complete freedom does not exist. As long as we identify ourselves with our bodies or minds, we are bound by the laws of nature.
It seems to me that the only way to be free is to act in accordance with the laws of nature. To me this means doing what God wants us to do. I know that not everyone will agree that the Universe can “want” us to do anything. And I am not exactly equating God and the Universe.
Anyway, in most situations there is a “right” choice. When we choose this “right” choice, we are free. In most situations we dont really have a choice. But if we choose the “wrong” choice, we only bind ourselves to the resulting consequences. This leads to a decrease in freedom.
Now I know that the question of what is “right” and “wrong” arises. All I can say is that each individual should act in accord with their own beliefs–and not those imposed by anyone else.
In conclusion, I believe that doing what is right increases freedom.
freedom is anarchism.
what exactly freedom is?
all of us have a free will. but not to the extent that we can really do wutever we want. freedom is when you fully understand your purpose in life and that you dont destroy other people’s freedom.
all of us are responsible for our own actions. even atheists have a responsibilities though they are authentic people they still have responsibilities
“Man is born free, yet everywhere he has chains” - Janes Rousseau
Absolute freedom is essentially a word, rather than an achievable goal. We are confined to a frame of mind that has been writen by our experiences with others. From our society we learn what is right and wrong. It was stated in one of the past comments that ‘freedom was doing the right thing’. We learn from others and our mistakes what os truely the just thing. Therefore, our ‘ethics’ or ‘morals’ are nothing more than what we have grown to believe.
For example, African tribes used to exercise their beliefs that female circumission was acceptable. The brutal act killed many. Now it was considered ‘right’ to the tribal people but to us, it was wrong
It’s been quite a while since I first read, then posted on this discussion (and a really, sometimes I wonder if this is more a discussion, or just a bunch of people who are enslaved to their personal belief that they are smarter than other people, or that they have something valuable to share even when it’s just a regurgitation of what other people have previously said)… anyhow…
With that being said, I’m just back to say once again that I’m not free (at least that’s what my wife says). I dare anyone who believes that they are free to sit and contemplate why you do what you do each moment of each day you will realize that you are a slave to something and for that you are not free.
It starts from as minor a thing as the urge to respond to this discussion. Are you free to respond? - yes. However every freedom that we choose to exercise is really the effect of something inside of us that we are enslaved to (personal demons) causing us to exercise that freedom.
We are all a slave to something… be it our carnal desires, our personal / public self image, a religion, a political party, etc. If you have joined any organized institution (even a college / university), you are part of the pride of that institution. You are socially bound to certain ideals shared by the commons of your group.
Do you have family obligations? (Wife, husband, child, old-aged members)
Do you have a job?
Do you go to school? - why? - so you can get a job? so you can show value? so you can meet someone to procreate with?
I’m not going to go on much further, because I’m free to stop whenever I want… NOT… I have to get packed to go to an airport or else I’ll miss my flight! - I’m going on vacation to feel freedom!!!
As you can tell, I’m not a scholar or a professor or a professional in this field (and this will discredit my posting in the eyes of some people). For those who feel like my post has hurt their idea on freedom, allow me to regurgitate what many others have also said: Freedom does not truly exist. All words or ideals are constructs of our beliefs. When we stop having needs, desires, and personal agendas, freedom begins. As long as there is capitalism and a need for success, the never ending cycle will spin. Coercion is part of being a leader in “The Free-world”. I live in one of the free modernized countries and I experience this almost everyday. The difference with our form of freedom is that we make our citizens believe that what they are forced to do = the right thing to do. It is a construct of the mind. Reframe a bad situation and the situation doesn’t look so bad. You might even eat off of it.
Freedom is a feeling: Wilson Rosin said “When your mind is in peace, there, …, you’ll be free! ”
That is it. Why do you think we go on vacation? To get away from our obligations, the constructs / perceptions of who we are to those around us and to ourselves.
For those kids (you might be highschool or even elementary school kids for all i know) who are writing papers, you should disregard my post as your teachers are probably not that interested in many of the concepts on my posting. They probably don’t understand it that well themselves as this is just an assignment that they are supposed to give you. Nonetheless, you are obligated (free) to do your best.
freedom is…
freedom is just that, escaping what we are controlled into believing, following,..buying, eating.. get it?
leaving the b/s behind and just doing that…letting go.
it’s not some big metaphysical philosophy of self awarnessless.
it is aware, more so, completely AWARE of being.
bill hicks used to end his shows like this:
The world is like a ride in an amusement park and when you choose to go on it you think it’s real because that’s how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and around and around and it has thrills and chills and it’s very brightly coloured and it’s very loud. And it’s fun - for a while. Some people have been on the ride for a long time, and they begin to question; is this real? Or is this just a ride? And other people have remembered, and they come back to us, and they say, “Hey, don’t worry, don’t be afraid, ever, because… this is just a ride.”
freedom is defined individually by our personal experiences…..and globally by our linguistic constructs and limited definitional boundaries.
So, in short-
Christ= true freedom
religion= captivity
political systems= captivity
intellectualism= captivity
If you want to talk more….and continue to search for Truth with me….message me at myspace.com/moreinsorrow
Obviously, I haven’t “arrived” yet. But I’m not too ignorant and arrogant to admit it.
Freedom is not a state; it is a process. It is something you are, not something you have.
Maryana says it quite well, except; if freedom is not a state, then how can freedom be something that we are? I believe we are always in a state of “whatever”, so I’m thinking there might be some language gap. I do like the simplicity of her statement. But I believe that Freedom something that a person can have since Freedom can be taken away.
I’m still on vacation and feeling quite “free”. I don’t really think much about my other life and just enjoy my surroundings. Not a care in the world except, I engaged myself in this discussion and feel obligated to respond. I find it fun, so it’s not oppressing. Anyway… I believe that anyone in North America can be free if they really wanted to be. Just ditch your family, work, church and whoever else you have obligations to. Go fishing and hunting for your food and camp in the wilderness. Self sufficiency sets a person free.
Have a wonderful day!
im only 14 and i need help before 9/20/2007
Is freedom in its truest form/state/process…the absence of this physical body?
If we are comprised of more than just flesh- then would real freedom occur when we are not bound to the necessities it requires?
Right now, I am not free to stop breathing, eating, sleeping without repercussions. Even the effectiveness of my brain and ability to communicate are tied to this body…so then how can real freedom exist for me as long as ultimate control belongs to it?
Signorelli, you make a good point
However, freedom is only something that we can, also, only experience within this body since it is a concept of our minds. I had the best massage 3 days ago and I feel free of backpain! One more day of vacation left so I’m gonna go back to it!!!
thanks for the feedback!
Honestly, you are on the longest vacation ever! hahaha
I think you are the most “free” of us all. lol
My thougts of freedom is (being a liberal) that amout of freedom you have is in direct proportion with the amount of choises you have.
this was stated above by hedar. i just wanted to point out briefly that in this statement he says ” the amount of freedom you HAVE is in direct proportion with the amount of choices you have.” in stating that the freedom we have is based on the amount of choices we have he stated that we all have freedom. He also said in that statement that it is based on the amount of choices we have. If we choose not to limit our choices then we have LIMITLESS freedom… based on the one statement made. So based on that comment, if we base this on a world where 13 colonies can come together and defy the largest and most dominating country in the world at that time, we have limitless freedom that is based on our choice to either have as much freedom as we want or as little as we need.
I put this question to any of you. Is it freedom to live under a goverment or not?
i liked all the opinions above and now i realized what freedom is. thanks to all.
this is for those people who don’t think fully into the small little details…
this in fact may not be true…but it may give us more clues on what freedom really is…
What is real freedom???
After watching a few movies I started asking myself this same question…
Is freedom when you die thinking ‘ why do I live in this world full of hatred???’.
Or is it dying while fighting for freedom???
People fight for freedom….if they die in the midst of war while fighting for freedom…they will receive real freedom.
People who die from not even daring or trying to….they will not receive freedom…like what they hope for.
Vacation is over now.
Perhaps we must suffer some sort of oppression before we can understand the sweet taste of freedom?? There is no such thing as white if not for black, and ironically, they are both similar in that they represent the absence of color. So we can only define things as they contrast and compare with others.
To the metre maid, liberal: I agree that choice is part of freedom. Isn’t it funny how its always those who say they fight for freedom who are always condemning others and trying to take away freedoms?
With great freedom comes great responsibility, and so when you have the freedom to choose, one should not abuse it by infringing on the freedoms of others.
A person does not have to fight for freedom. After traveling to a few different places, I realize that the people in poor countries are more free than North Americans, which leads me to say that freedom is a choice that can be made (albiet, it is irresponsible in some instances).
That being said, if you feel free, then ideally, you would be happy, and if you are happy you wouldn’t care so much as to what other people are doing. Unfortunately for me, as I always say, I’m not free. I have to think about what my family and friends and colleagues are up to cuz what they do either directly or indirectly affects me. So, take heart and enjoy what freedoms you can afford to have.
Thanks for sharing everyone. This may very well be my last post. This has been a great discussion and I have personally gained from this experience.
Well that’s the biggest choice of them all is it not? The choice to start a family and have friends to live a life where you have to look out for other people who you love thus choosing to give up your freedom for somthing that to you maybe a better existence than to be free. That also leads to another question, If we choose to truly free are we alone once that choice has been made if so is the price of freedom to high?
well, all these comments and ideas helped me alot.
cos, im doing an article on freedom for my philosophy assignment.
thanks for all those nice ideas, it helped me a lot.
i think we all are free to do what ever we want,
but, but, we have to first think about what we are doin.
what are its advantages and diadvantages, what will be the out come of it. first we need to think!!! isn’t it right?
I think freedom is the power to do something. But freedom cant be a definition. well it can but everyone has their own opinion on thingss. its the right to choose and the right to create for yourself; ur opinion!!! a person has their own priorities with reasons but there is ALWAYS rules!..but on other things it YOU.freedom is great!..hope u like thiss..
I agree with sibaa that it is our own opinion but what about people in prison? They’re not physically free but could they be free in they’re mind?
People who are in prison were free. They made choices that lead them to where they are now. If you want to pick this very weak statement apart go ahead but there isnt enough time in this world to go over all the specific misfortunes of those who end up in prison. we all kno the system is flawed and there are people who are in prison that dont deserve to be, but still whatever the case may be- a man stealing a car had the choice not to. THat is freedom. a man who murders someone or robbed a bank, again had the choice not to. A man who was in an auto accident and was convicted of manslaughter for killing people in the accident had the choice to get in the car and drive when he did. Of course this is touchy and there is no way he could have known there would be an accident but the point is he had the choice. Anyone that says the government takes away our freedom is wrong. anything is possible depending on your means of making it happen. its the consequences everyone is worried about. that is not the definition of freedom. what happens after you make a choice is not freedom or lack thereof. it is the simple law that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. IF i wanted to jump off the empire state building, i would plan ahead, save up some money and go do it. If i want to by a gun with a silencer and go to every house in a neighborhood and quietly shoot up a neighborhood, i can do that. The consequences for these two decisions are both obvious, but they are what hinder us from making dumb decisions like jumping off buildings and shooting people we dont know. It isnt freedom that constrains us, its the consequences of what we choose to do. You can do anything. The question is can you live with yourself once you choose it. freedom is choice. there are boundries and laws telling us all kinds of things. believe what you want. its your choice. thats your freedom. and once you decide what you believe, go out and act on it. its your life.. only you can decide what will be done with it.
I was simply skimming for some true meanings of freedom in people’s opinions so I could add some insight to my own opinion. Now I would like to share what I know so far with you.
I really hope that you take the time to read all of this.
Recently in my Goverment class at my high school we were discussing the 28 principles of freedom. Ever heard of them? If no please read The 5,000 Year Leap by Cleon Skousen. Brilliant book. I also recommend the Making of America.
The 28 principles are condensed principles that this man found over time representing all the things that are necessary to make people free.
The problem is that we keep wandering away from those principles. Principle number two states
Now yes I do understand that everyone has their different views of morals and virtues but I believe that we can all say that most of us have the same basic beliefs and can look at this the same if not fairly close to likeness.
Isn’t it true that if people were virtuous and morally strong that we would not need to worry about having laws because everyone was perfect?
Sadly we cannot have a world like this.
There’s a quote that goes along with the latter said:
This quote is from the Federalist Papers. No. 51.
Unfortunately we can never have this, its simply a dream, but this dream is what the founding fathers hoped to accomplish though it seemed impossible.
Freedom isn’t free, there’s always a price.
This quote is by a famoust person. Emerson.
You should be acquainted with him. If not I highly recommend looking him up and at least knowing the basics of what he stood for.
Laws are going to always exist but you can be free without worrying about laws.
Let’s refer back to the principle.
It says that in order to be free we need virtues and morals.
Do you agree?
I highly do.
If everyone was virtuous there probably wouldn’t have to be laws and even if there were I doubt anyone would break them.
See where I’m coming from.
Your definitions of freedom are rough and can be pulled out of any modern day dictionary.
I don’t mean to sound terrible in saying that but you asked for an open discussion.
Freedom isn’t simply being free from everything.
Freedom is having those boundaries but not having to worry about crossing them.
People who break the laws crossed those boundaries therefore taking away their own right to be free.
Freedom is in fact a right.
Freedom entitles us to many of our rights.
I recommend another book called Freedom Factor that we read earlier this year by Gerald Lund.
Excellent book.
Talks about all the factors of freedom.
But the main one is the Consititution.
I would like you to consider all of this and I will leave off with a list of the 28 principles so you may look over them yourself and better understand freedom and two quotes. One by Jefferson, which I will likely butcher so you can understand the basic idea and quote that was discussed today in the class.
Let’s start with the Jefferson quote. He uses the example of a kite.
A kite is tied down by a string, so everyone would believe upon looking at it that the kite is not free correct?
Wrong. The kite is free, but without the string the kite would not be capable of flying. Now put yourself in place of the kite and the laws in place of the string. Now lets look even further into it. Look at the string as the Constitution. Jefferson believes that in order for us to be free we must bind ourselves to the Constitution.
Now for the quote discussed today. I need not butcher it because it is already very condensed.
If you would like to argue this out with me, discuss, or even get more information contact me at cheyenne1456@yahoo.com. If you send me junk emails you will be marked as spam, just a word of warning.
Here is a list of the 28 principles. I will leave it to you to further research them to understand their simple meanings.
1. The only reliable basis for sound government and just human relations is Natural Law.
2. A free people cannot survive under a republican constitution unless they remain virtuous and morally strong.
3. The most promising method of securing a virtuous and morally stable people is to elect virtuous leaders.
4. Without religion the government of a free people cannot be maintained.
5. All things were created by God therefore upon HIm all mankind are equally dependent, and to Him they are equally responsible.
6. All men are created equal.
7. The proper role of government is to protect equal rights, not equal things.
8. Men are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights.
9. To protect man’s rights, God has revealed certain principles of divine law.
10. The God-given right to govern is vested in the sovereign authority of the whole people.
11. The majority of the people may alter or abolish a government which has become tyrannical.
12. The United States of American shall be a republic.
13. A constitution should be structured to permanently protect the people from the human frailties of their rulers.
14. Life and Liberty are secure only so long as the right to property is secure.
15. The highest level of prosperity occurs when there is a free-market economy and a minimum of government regulations.
16. The government should be seperated into three branches–legislative, executive, and judicial.
17. A system of checks and balances should be adopted to prevent the abuse of power.
18. The unalienable rights of the people are most likely to be preserved if the principles of government are set forth in a written constitution.
19. Only limited and carefully defined powers should be delegated to government, all others being retained by the people.
20. Efficiency and dispatch require government to operate according to the will of the majority, but constitutional provisions must be made to protect the rights of the minority.
21. Strong local self-government is the keystone to preserving human freedom.
22. A free people should be governed by law and not by the whims of men.
23. A free society cannot survive as a republic without a broad program of general education.
24. A free people will not survive unless they stay strong.
25. “Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations–entangling alliances with none.”
26. The core unit which determines the strenght of any society is the family; therefore, the government should foster and protect its integrity.
27. The burden of debt is as destructive to freedom as subjugation by conquest.
28. The United States has a manifest destiny to be an example and a blessing to the entire human race.
to be truthfull i think that every one is free in some way or another. because technically, we all have our own space and within that space we can roam around. which means we are free.
ever since we were born we were free…and we still are
But in todays world our freedoms are slowy being killed day by day. In todays world money dictates our freedom it is as simple as that. Every action we make is being watched and most of the good things that we all enjoy which is a wide range because we are all different are taxed or in some harsh cases ever made illegal so yes maybe we can be free but can we enjoy it without giving somthing else up?
freedom requires thinking and taking responsibility . freedom means owning up to your mistake, it means planing for sickness and choosing how to educate your children , it means saving for retirment though we cannot have unlimited freedom.
all of these comments are wonderful advice and i am sure people think so to
Thanks for the thoughts, I needed some kind of contrast between different people’s thoughts on freedom. Out of the chaos that can be a discussion i can draw my own conclusions thanks to you people…
Hi all it is really interesting to see minds boggle up on this sensitive issue on freedom. mine is simple,always limit your freedom from the freedom of others.How? you might ask especially that you do not know exactly what freedom is.To me freedom is the thought and/or realisation of what you feel when you are about to grasp/or you’ve grasped the advantage of something you ‘ve never had before, and when you do do not trample on others.
Just a couple of thoughts,
You claim that nothing, or nobody, can be truly free until they free themselfs from the bounderies of matter, time and so on.
Lets discuss
If someone suddenly freed themselfs from this entrapment and became truley free it would be pretty hard for them to exist. Due to matter, time and space is the definition of existing things.
Modern physics claims that electrons never relly exists until you look at them, thus entraping them. Which makes us conclude that if a person doesnt exist and you suddenly look at him, he is entraped.
So you can exist without being trapt, im sorry
In conclusion: nobody can be relly free.
regards
/David
Jimi this is exactly what i mean, your quote, “If someone suddenly freed themselfs from this entrapment and became truley free it would be pretty hard for them to exist. Due to matter, time and space is the definition of existing things.”That is why if you do not see people that they exist they will want you notice they are there and in order for some of them to be noticed they abuse their freedom of being. You tellme honestly whocan exist without being traped? Cos that same cacoon they are in is entrapnment.Modern physics claim,so do people. Its like money in your wallet its traped,but it knows it can get something of its value and it is hard for it to exist when you remove it from your wallet. Lets not confuse science to common sense
thats good and cool
The scientific perspective can be used when looking at freedom from every other perspective. Everything is relative to its observer (my post about 1984 for example). Freedom for you and me isn´t the same.
People in a perfect socialist society are free because they are not bound by laws of market economy.
Liberals are free because they can make their own choices regarding which things to buy and so on.
But would a liberal say that socialists are free?
This can be discussed indefinitly but we won´t find an answer.
Total freedom can only be achived when you are´t bound by anything. But, as my post explains, it makes it impossible to exist
regards
/David
FREEDOM HAS DIFFERENT MEENING, EACH PERSON HAVE DIFFERENT MEANING OF FREEDOM,
I) A PRESNOR - WHEN HE WILL RELISE FROM JAIL THAT WILL BE FREEDOM FOR HIM.
II) A SOLDURE - WHEN THERE WILL BE KNOW WAR, ALL WILL LIVE PEACE FULL LIFE THAT WILL BE THE FREEDOM FORM HIM.
III) WHEN A BIRT WILL BE NO MORE IN CAGE - THAT WILL BE FREEDOM FOR HIM.
IV) WHEN A PERSON HAVE RITE TO GO ANYWEAR IN THE WORLD THAT WILL BE THE FREEDOM.
V) WHEN THERE WILL BE NO ANIMITY AMONGS PEOPLE, RELIGION, CASTISM AND EVERY BODY WILL LIVE PEACE FULLY THAT WILL BE THE FREEDOM.
VI) WHEN A WOMAN CAN WALK ALONE ANY WHERE AT ANY TIME WITHOUT FEAR THAT WILL BE THE FREEDOM FOR HER.
VII) A SAGE — WHO IS WANDERING FROM PLACE TO PLACE FOR SEARCH OF SALVATION, WHEN HE GET’S IT THAT IS THE FREEDOM FOR HIM.
*** FREEDOM DOSEN’T MEAN TO DO ANY THING, FREEDOM IS A PHINOMINA THAT IS PRATICED BY ALL BUT IT HAS SOME SOCIAL OR SELFAWARNESS BOUNDRIES.
***EVEY BODY HAVE RIGHT TO BE FREE, BUT THERE ARE SOME RULES, BUT THESE RULES ARE RARELY PRATICED BY PEOPLE.
**IT’S SIMPLE *****THINK GOOD AND DO GOOD………………………………………………………………!
(In response to nookies post)
If total freedom can only be achived when you are´t bound by anything then could that be interpreted as freedom can only be found in death?
This thread has intrigued and inspired me and i haven’t responded in a while, but it has also kept me entertained. I realize Luke is responding to nookie, but I can’t help (i’m a slave to my curiosity) but to respond in saying that “Luke, you are free to interpret freedom however you like.” A wise man once said something to the effect of: while you plan your next goal in life… life is happening. I don’t know who said it, but I thought I’d share it. If someone knows who said it, or what the original quote is, please feel “free” or “mentally bound” to share it with me / us.
Have a great day one and all.
In response to Luke,
That is true for total freedom, but only if our hypothesis excludes any form of “life after death”.
I guess my view of freedom is how many bounderis you have overcome.. (which is kinda close to sciencetology :S)
This doesn´t mean that overcoming bounderies is something to struggle for.
Existans, for examle, is a good thing…
regards
/David
This may seem a little stupid but is that ment to say existance?
Hehe, I did, sorry about that.
“Existance, for examle, is a good thing…”
Guess i have to study english even harder now :/
It’s alrigt ) Existence is another type pf control though?
Sadly. existence becomes a sort of boundary because of the laws of physics..
But such a discussion becomes rather in relevant. We must presume that everyone wants to be part of the world. We cant never achive freedom from everything because that would make us nothing and we wouldn´t have any use of it.
Hmm, but must freedom be something to strive for?
regards
/David
I think that we all start off striving for freedom but some of us lose the passion for it along the way and just say to our selfs “I can’t go any futher”. I also think that as children we have all these dreams of what we want to be when we grow up but when we do grow up we realise that the world is to cold and greedy for those dreams to come true, I mean things like taxs, insurance and bills so maybe in a way through the ages we have stopped our selfs from becoming free and have given into our darker impulses like greed, vanity and prejudice.
Freedom…
Freedom is a big word.
and to think 7 words can mean the way u control ur life and how….
amazing.
Freedom, is the reposibility of your own actions and most impotantily its its having the will to control your own life and the harsh decisons along with it.
Freedom means alot to some people….it’s basicly saying u can fly.
and i know every person in this unvierse wants to fly….
I know this doesn’t sound very intelgent im only 13…
Intelligent or not it does make sense but one could say that to get rid of our responsibility is to gain our freedom.
Perhaps freedom truly comes when you’re content. Even if you could fly and do what you want, you still wouldn’t be truly free. You’d be physically free, but you would still have to carry the burden of your own fallen nature and all that guilt along with you. Once the guilt is taken away, you become content with your situation and who you are. Not only that, but when you don’t do the things you used to do that hurt others – THEN you’re free. Is THIS not true freedom? The fact that you can’t fly doesn’t bug you, is true freedom. I still don’t think you’ve explained TRUE freedom accurately. True freedom is inside you, not outside you. It’s not subjective or objective, it’s just intrinsically TRUE.
Hi everyone I havent read the comments but i might.
My interpertation of freedomis being free from things which control us wether its something within us or the outside world something in ourselves would be for example having an addiction where food controls us so we dont have freedom from that addiction.
Or if people are causing us harm then we dont have freedom from them.
Free is also not being traped, not being owned by anyone but belonging to ourselves.
Also emotional freedom being free from anoying thoughts or mental illness.
Its to have control over something and to not be controled by it. to be able to say no to ourselves and to others.
You say that that freedomto is to have control over something and to not be controled by it? What about things like nature?
I figured it out- freedom is tag-less white T’s and pop-tarts without frosting.
that’s it. argument over.
to be human is to give definition to objects and thought that have no meaning. freedom is only a byproduct of our nature to give definition
not true.
We cannot always manipulate the physical properties of an object by simply changing our perception of it.
Some things exist, and will continue to exist, whether we define them or not; freedom being one of those things.
The way I see things, technically, nobody can be 100% free. If it was possible to be 100% free we would be living in complete chaos. But I believe you can definitley be free in spirit (not trying to sound like a hippie) what I mean is, you can be free of woe, guilt, pressures of daily life and similar everyday problems. It may seem a bit un-fitting for what I’m trying to describe, but what comes to mind for this is “Ignorance is Bliss” and while you don’t have to be ignorant to be happy, I think you really do have to be very optimistic. try it!
Hey Yall I’m gonna make this very easy. Just click on this link and read it:
http://www.energygrid.com/society/freedom.html
Happy 2008!!!
I just noticed that you’ve actually complicated the meaning of freedom. Freedom is actually relative. It is subject to a person’s point of view. If for instance freedom for me is to be able to do what I think is right then that will just be it. My neighbor may say that freedom for him is being able to do what he thinks is right for him and at the same time right for other people.
There was even one time when a friend of mine told me that he can only be free if he’s allowed to do anything under the sun, anywhere, any time. That, however, is absurd.
Freedom therefore is when anyone is allowed to do what’s right and for the common good without any limitations.
freedom is how will the people exist…
Hey ya, i was just doin my hwk on “FREEDOM” whn i found this site. so i just want to say THANX
you guys helped me alot, but here is what i have to say after reading wht other ppl have to say bout “FREEDOM”
well, relly freedom is wht u think it is n nt wht others tell u b/c everbody have their own veiw point to it.
Good point but could there be a universal freedom for humanity?
i know that everyone has their own opinion about what freedom is, but thats the beauty of it– being able to form that opinion for yourself IS freedom! To be able to make your own decisions, and form your own opinions without being told what to think is freedom. Freedom is not being able to do whatever you want. People say we’re not really free because of so many laws, but the laws are in place for the common good. If freedom were the ability to do whatever the heck you wanted, murder, stealing, etc. would be encouraged. As long as you can form opinions for yourself, and think for yourself, you are free.
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I believe freedom is both a physical and mental belief. Some people believe that we do have mental freedom; that no external force is limiting us by what our opinion should be about in this topic nor any other. I however disagree with that because religion is an external force that control our state of minds. A devout catholic won’t steal because the first thing that will come to mind is, “I’m going to burn in hell!” An Atheist would most likely not give a damn because he/she has no one greater than them to fear. Physically, well freedom doesnot exist because we all have limits in what we are allowed to do and not to do; there will always be an external force limiting us from our actions. =) Thanks for reading!
The simplest freedom is freedom to want and to not want.
If you take that as freedom then everyone is free, even if they do not want to be. They are free to not want to be free.
In other words, to be able to think is to be free.
However, when an issue enters a person’s mind, there are some people who do not want to think and other people who have not learnt to think. Instead of thinking, they find a book, ask others or just follow a leader like sheep. They then act if they must or ignore the issue if they can. These people have freely forfeited their freedom or never thought they had freedom to forfeit.
God loves such people.
Wolves prefer free thinking sheep because they are easier to separate from the fold.
Only good thinkers should think and accept their freedom.
i think freedom is not an illusion and it do exist in our personal life……
maybe you will ask me why? it is because the fact that we have a freedom to choose to follow what is there. for example a rules and regulation in our country or whereever we are it still depend to us if we follow. it is a matter of chosing. we are free that is realilty.
Ok, so you can not exist if you are tottaolly and utterly free? That’s, well, that’s true, but would you really want to be that free? Truthfully, would you wan’t to be free of everything?
Hey, I didn’t read through all of these but some comments went along the lines of we can’t really be free because there are always rules so on so forth. Well i suppose you could look at it like this..SOME rules allow us to feel/be free. The Universal declaration of Human rights..they are all laws/rules but they are there to shape us freedoms. It sort of like you can’t know freedom without knowing constraints, you need both for one to work. What is freedom though anyway? I think that everyone has a slightly different view on what their freedom is. A painter is free with their canvas so on so forth. Freedom is an individuel thing, although we all generally have the same idea. This is just my opinion…don’t think I explained it amazingly but oh well.
Good Point
Since you specifically talk about Catholics and Athiests: You are right that an athiest (or anyone who is able to free-think) does think for themselves and does not bow down to a religious figure and therefore when they CHOOSE not to steal, it is a higher power, since they are not simply OBEYING what they were taught, but instead, understand why it is taught. OBEDIENCE is for simple animals. ANARCHY is for the weak and careless. Complete and total freedom will only exist in individual moments in our lives as we are all bound to something external.
Indeed. For example, let’s not use Jesus, Mary, God, Buddha, Allah, or any other known religious deity… instead here are some limiting forces most of us can agree on: Mom, Dad, Wife, Friends, Responsibility to Kids, Responsibility to your School, Job, Club, or anything social. We don’t need to restate the fact that human beings are not able to fly under their own power in their natural form. Instead we should recognize that we are bound by the precepts of our societies and how we perceive ourselves. As well, we can always mask our insecurities with FREEDOM because we have the freedom to say that “We don’t feel like it” when in fact in our heart we do, but because we are afraid to do it in the preceps of our mind, we cannot and this is completely natural.
Freedom- Have a peace of it, today!
BTW: Freedom today is taken for granted as it is so abundant. For example: Women, the Minorities, and the Gays…. The world more or less accepts everyone, even the Catholics!
So: Kids, stay in school…. listen to your teachers, but learn to think for yourself. Listening is not just memorization or obedience. Criticize and question with objectivity and not for the sake of criticism and questioning. Otherwise you become a “no good”, a hater and a critic. Don’t forget to take care of your parents and old people. They have all paid the price for your freedom.
To reiterate on what i said a few months ago,(since ive learned that to make a statement definative is to call the arrows of resentment upon ones self)yes you do have a point but thats more for definite objects in my belief. Freedom is more a way of expression that a physical state. Look in the form of art people can change their perseption of it as the times changes. same can be said for freedom once it was just a means of differance between slaves and people who owned them. freedom to them at the time was to escape enslavement. fastforward centuries later freedom ment for the ordinary pesant that was tied down to his land was to be able to leave and buid his or her own home for him or her self and his or her’s own family. now in modern times i can be seen in some cultures that people leave their tyrannical dictatorship styles of country or even as simple as leaving their authoritarian parents so they will get off their backs.
Then you can safely say that Humans in general are simpler animals ill tell you what i mean when you reply
On hand of anarchy can you truely say that you are a specialist of anarchy i surely am not though i can truely say with out practicing the form of government one cannot justifiably say that it is for the weak and the careless.
(sorry for the misspellings in advance)
To truely give a meaning to freedom is complete disregard of all limitation. in theory this cannot be true for the simple fact as humans we have ceirtan limitations that can obviously not be surpased with our current level of technology.
But when we as humans created freedom we created its antithesus
thats is security.
with security we can limit to an extent uncontrolled freedom that is potentally harmfull to society. As we go through different cultures and societys in our past and present we can see variations of this statement.
Babylon for example had hammurrabis Code, Eye for Eye, Tooth for tooth.
in the middle east if you are caught stealling your right hand gets removed. in japan most of the time when you commit a crime your family and freinds literaly ostrizies you from their presence. In America Criminals are put brands Known better as Criminal history which could prevent people who are trying to change their ways to get decent jobs.
Though now im losing the aspect of the subject and leaving my self for a critisim that i did not address that i plainly saw. their are people in this world who do not regard the aspect of secruity. usually it is a mental problem, a religous practice or a spur of the moment(there could be more)
that results in this mind set
Freedom VS security complex is some thing that we all have come to terms with do you all agree people of this board
thats why it will be always addressed with contriversy just like abortion,homosexual tolerance,religous tolerance, gender/racial/age/bodytype/ability of intelligence tolerance and many others so ill conclude with this for now and reply later
Anarchy as i would define is a