Freedom

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Freedom, the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. It is a concept that would allow others to do the same. It involves a sense of being independent from others.

I often wonder how that works...

Throughout time humanity has organized itself in communities. Sometimes very small communities like family groups ~ other times larger communities, depending on the availability food and other resources.

The structure of the community ensured the survival of the group, so it was in everybody’s best interest to function within that structure, for each member to take on the responsibility to do whatever was needed for the protection and sustenance of the group.
The worst thing that could happen was to be ‘set free’. To be pushed out of the group, the community, and to have to fend for one self.

Today, when I look around me, it doesn’t seem to work that way anymore. Times have changed. And our chances at survival have, without a doubt, greatly improved.
And this gives us a new arena in which to explore the concept of ‘freedom’.

Where a number of years ago freedom still was defined as the ability to do, say, or think whatever you want, as long as you don’t hurt anyone else doing it ~ that too seems to have changed.

Our desire for personal freedom seems to have put us in a space where on one hand we expect to be taken care of as far as our ‘basic needs’, our survival is concerned. On the other hand, we seem to feel less and less a sense of responsibility to do our share.

Listening, more and more people are talking about the magical, mythical, non-existing ‘them’. As ‘they’ have the resources to take care of me. ‘They’ have to take care of me; it is my right...

And maybe even more troubling ~ the sense that if one feels that another person does not deserve to be taken care of, or helped; it is okay to ensure they will not get the help they need, even if that involves fighting the police or emergency responders.

What appears to be happening is that the ‘freedom’ we all so much desire, is equated with anti-social behavior. The structure of society is being abandoned in favor of the desires of the one, with lots of strings, but no responsibilities attached.

To me that is no freedom.

Freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint, where I allow others to do the same.
It involves a being independent from others ~ this means that the responsibility for our own actions, our own behavior, even our own lives is what will give us the ultimate freedom.
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