Freedom

Chaos Jackal

Legend of the Past
Member
It is common for us to say that we are free and we make our own choices. Nearly every human on the planet wants to feel free, independent, to do what he or she wishes. But what is this freedom we all seek? Is it true freedom, or is it an illusion? Can we really talk about freedom in a world where our lives are so intertwined with each other's, and with so many rules looming above our heads? Is freedom the ability to do whatever we want, or is it something different? Can we truly chase it?

I'd like to hear your opinions on this.
 
We can't do what ever we want - that is not whats freedom about imo.
Nevertheless- while we do many things that we don't necessary like ( such as going to school go to work or do the dishes ) we choose to do them. we choose to obey the law and we choose to give up our rights sometimes. Either we choose to do those things for interest good will or comprising- its our choice.
Freedom is also a state of mind. You can tell yourself that you have no choice but to go to your boring job every day but that is only you who prevents yourself from thinking about other alternatives. Of course not always you have good alternatives but the only way you would have a chance to do something you really want is that you will tell yourself that you are free. From this point everything is possible. However- If you think that you are not free, you are the only reason for that.
 
Chaos Jackal said:
It is common for us to say that we are free and we make our own choices. Nearly every human on the planet wants to feel free, independent, to do what he or she wishes. But what is this freedom we all seek? Is it true freedom, or is it an illusion? Can we really talk about freedom in a world where our lives are so intertwined with each other's, and with so many rules looming above our heads? Is freedom the ability to do whatever we want, or is it something different? Can we truly chase it?

I'd like to hear your opinions on this.

People are free to do what they want, at least in the very basic and simple concept of freedom, but then we have to take into account everybody's freedom and there's got to be limits when ours collides with others, because that'll will happen when living in society. "There's got"...This is when I'm already putting limits to freedom and my concept of freedom is mixed with other aspects such as living in society, a society with certain rules, a society that even shapes our own concept of freedom and a society that even when fighting against the lack of freedom has shaped that concept because of what we think as freedom and what's not. Like I saw once in "Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots" and agree with it, the fight for freedom is a cage on itself because of society defining what's a cage, when we're in one or not. And when I'm speaking of society, we're society...as children we were shaped by it and now we're part of it, even when wanting to run.

As far as I know, there's not a single place on Earth where we're not within a state/country or ruled by some (international) law. At least in my country, we pay a tax for the house we have because we're occupying State's territory, so we can't just build a nice independent community or something with it's own rules and without any attatchment because of that.

How can we speak about freedom when we hadn't the freedom to chose to be born (well, we'd be already living if chosing to born or not or at least a different existence but that's another story)? I can't define freedom and I believe that nobody truly can...we'll all have some definition of it. Only Liberty can free us! :p
 
There's no such thing as freedom. Everyone is bound by limitations. If I can't fly with just my hands, then freedom does not exist. Also, if freedom was real, there wouldn't be so many rules to everything.
 
Freedom from rules isn't true freedom. Even free people have morals they live by. If that were the case, psychopaths would be the most free people on the planet. Freedom would be something to fear!

Nay, freedom isn't that, it's something more.

Freedom is the ability to choose the unpopular thing, the ability to choose beyond another man's orders. True freedom is the ability to stand firm in a belief that you believe in with all your being. If 99.999999% of the entire population of Earth looks at you and says that you need to stop and be like everyone else, a free man has the ability, the right -- no, the duty, to look at them and utter: "No."

Living by what you believe, even if it's unpopular. That's freedom.
 
To me, freedom is when I am not being restricted by rules that make no proper sense or are invalid, such as having to change from sport to formal uniform (us Australians /do/ wear uniforms...) the periods after the Physical Education lesson or quite a number of parent-inflicted rules, often related to sleep hours >.>
 
Doing anything you like, unbound by anything, can't really be called freedom. Even the greatest anarchist has to be bound by some sort of moral code, personal or otherwise. Stating that there are absolutely no rules isn't freedom. Nor following some rules does take your freedom away. You choose which rules to follow and which rules to break. You choose to stand by some beliefs. And you are also ready to accept the consequences of those choices. That is freedom.
 
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