free·dom [free-duhm]
–noun
- the state of being at liberty rather than in confinement or under restraint.
- exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.
- the power to determine action without restraint.
from <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/freedom> on Sat 07 May 2011 at 12:23
freedom is a broad term, and needs some defining context before it's really meaningful. it's something people can refer to in a wide variety of contexts: physical, psychological, spiritual...
and like so many other things, it's defined as much by what it is not as by what it is. to explore the state of freedom, a clear understanding of the state of captivity is required. to be free, we have to be free from something. we have to be able to choose one action over another.
as the opening definitions show, conceptually all manner of controls and restraints are enemies to freedom. however, this then becomes a matter of perspective…
if a parent was to restrain their child with an edict such as, "do not smoke"; then in order to escape their parent's regulation, the child might see smoking as an expression or even experience of freedom.
however, the same child, some time later, may come to realise that the controlling addiction of their smoking habit is a much worse constraint to their genuine freedom than their parent's interference ever was.
an additional subtlety to consider is that perhaps the choice to smoke is a real piece of freedom, whereas the decision to begin smoking is actually a step towards captivity. freedom is a state; not an action or a situation.
whilst it's a small example, it is a useful demonstration that freedom can be understood as an objective reality, whereas perception of freedom is as subjective as anything else viewed through human eyes.
it's a huge topic, and perhaps the one closest to my heart. something that i never stop coming back to; encompassing perspective, relationship, communication, identity, and everything else besides!!
just how free do we think we are?...
Comments
Post a Comment