Freedom

Freedom is not a simple concept. Let's start with free will. Do we have free will? Yes and no. We have many choices we can make, and we are free to pick any one, but, which one we choose is often greatly influenced by our personal history and our cultural history. If I am a five foot tall, Saudi Arabian woman, I am not likely to choose to be an NBA power forward. If I am  sixty years old, it is unlikely that I will decide to win next year's Masters Tournament. If I am 90 and never finished high school, it is darn unlikely that I will take up particle physics. I am free in all of those instances to do the unlikely, but odds are, I will not.

There is 'freedom to." We are free to try to do just about anything. If you wish to rob banks, there is no one that can stop you from trying. Now, if you go ahead, there are potentially dire consequences, but there is no prior restraint. This kind of freedom, can be important. We are free to believe any religion we wish to, or none, if that is our preference. However, it is very easy for this kind of freedom to become juvenile, a sort of 'you can't make me,' kind of thing. Or, 'I'll do just as I please.' There is truth and a sort of freedom in both those statements but, they can become childish. No one can stop you from living on ice cream, but it is a terrible idea. Still, there are people who will do something just because they are told they can't.

There is also 'freedom from.' In our culture, we believe, or say we believe, that people should be free from hunger. We  say that people should be free from violent attacks. We certainly do not live up to these statements, but they are common values and they are important. Just as important is a more personal form of freedom. Freedom from compulsions is, to me, the highest, most mature form of freedom. For example, if I am 100 pounds over weight, and I cannot stop eating 12 Twinkies every day, I have a serious and deadly compulsion, and my life would be better off if I was free from it. If, ever week, I bet half my paycheck on a race horse, I am slave to a compulsion.

In both of these cases, I am free to do these things, but, I would be better off to be free from the compulsion to do them. However, to show you how complex this concept of freedom is, I am free to do them, and, if I come from a culture where these are acceptable behaviors, and there are such cultures, it is unlikely that I will change, and, If I do, I become outcast by that culture.

Freedom and free will are difficult concepts and something we all struggle with. Be gentle with others who are dealing with these issues, and a bit harsh with yourself when you are dealing with them. You cannot force others to change, but you must force yourself if you want to be free.