What is “Freedom” for you?

[Amberiat]

I find this general question very much an integral part of my life. In a way, I feel I’m partly motivated towards my dreams, and even partly construct those dreams around this rather abstract concept. As I’ve mentioned in my OP, it’s not a concept I feel I can wholly define, but rather, understand fragments of what it could be, you know? I’m sort of thinking perhaps I’m never supposed to answer this question, maybe no one is. Sort of like the grand daddy question of all, “what is the meaning of life?”. It’s one of those things that I think humanity will never know, and that’s perfectly fine, it’s just part of what it means to be human I suppose, to question these sorts of things and to apply those questions to our everyday lives. Sort of just thinking out loud here.

That's a good point, the two questions might be similar in that there is no general answer that everyone can agree to, instead it's more like everyone has to answer those questions for themselves and decide on their own what the meaning of their life is and what freedom means to them.

I do believe that being able to find an answer to these questions makes the difference between an accomplished individual and everyone else. And I mean accomplished in a "I know what I want to do with my life in order to be happy" sort of way. Your dreams could very well be the answer to these questions. It's definitely an interesting subject to discuss however and I'm happy you brought it up to be honest.

 

[Virtual ghost]

For me freedom is overvalued concept that is also so abstract and subjective that it has no real universal meaning. Personally I judge things by how they will help or unhelp me and those around me to survive, what is much more concrete and practical approach towards life. Plus, if the times are good that judgement is diverted towards quality of life.

This isn't something that should be overthinked since there are no absolute answers.

 

[ChocolateMoose123]

Honestly, I cringe when I hear that word and have for years as it's long been a dog whistle and scape-goat for conservatives. Freedom is in fact dependent on restrictions. The more "freedoms" socieity has, the less free we are as individuals.

Bullsh*t.

There's a middle ground, of course. But remember crooks know how to break rules. The more you place or impose the more they tread those lines. Rules are made for people who already follow them. I will break a rule no problem so long as the result is clear.
I only get in trouble when I mess up and it falls apart but honestly- short term. People rely on results. They remember those. They will forgive error for bravery. Every. Time.

 

[Mole]

It's not so much that I advocate that, it's just that people are going to feel what they are going to feel and if what they are feeling is hindered, it's going to come out all kinds of wrong later on. The easiest and most effective way to change your emotions is by behaviors because behaviors, thoughts, and emotions are inherently linked together. Clinical psychology has stated pretty emphatically that changing the behavior to change the thoughts/emotions is the way to go in a few very important branches of psychology. If I get pissed, I can either push it down and "try to not let it both me" or I can go for a long walk to cool off. The former is repressing anger in which case it come out as displacement and the latter is sublimation, which is much more healthy.

Actually we agree. so I don't know what we are arguing about.

 

[Snow as White]

freedom for me is freedom in my mind. i focused for so long on being free physically and yet it was my mind that felt more enslaved: obligations, possessions, consuming, finances, etc. for my journey, i have now been focused more on being free in my mind from these constraints and from that the strings become more and more slack. yourself is the only thing you can carry from zygote to beyond.

at least this is where i am at now.

 

[Nomendei]

Well, to me, freedom equals money. Lots of money.

There’s not much you can’t do with green. Just think about it. You can buy yourself whatever you want, whatever you need. You can buy yourself the material you need to buy your own Ironman suit, you can build yourself a majestic villa on the beach and even have your own space station! If you want a car all you need to do is go to the store and buy yourself a Bugatti Veyron. You can drive a little bit faster than the regulations because you are no longer depending on a salary. You don’t have to work anymore, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.

For example, I could buy myself a giant lab where I could have fun doing whatever experiment I want without being restrained by a boss who influence my product which in the end isn’t what I wanted. I would have a beautiful assistant who would take notes and do the boring stuff for me like paying the bills. In my lab would be my apprentice who would call me master. That would be cool! I would be invited to scientific events and have a talk with Bill Gates and other mega minds.

 

[draon9]

Freedom to me is doing as i please

 

[Lyra.I]

The way to live.

 

[Tellenbach]

It would have to be an existence on another plane. This body and all the laws of physics and nature are constraining. Did you guys see that movie Lucy? That's true freedom.

 

[SurrealisticSlumbers]

Freedom is the ability to walk away from a situation that is less than ideal. Knowing that you will be okay. No fear.

 

[ceecee]

Bullsh*t.

There's a middle ground, of course. But remember crooks know how to break rules. The more you place or impose the more they tread those lines. Rules are made for people who already follow them. I will break a rule no problem so long as the result is clear.
I only get in trouble when I mess up and it falls apart but honestly- short term. People rely on results. They remember those. They will forgive error for bravery. Every. Time.

If you're gonna be dumb you gotta be tough.

 

[GoldenDawn]

Freedom for me is the ability to walk through life with security, rights and the means to carve your own better tomorrow.

 

[rav3n]

I've often wondered if our cravings for freedom source back to our instinctual nomadic lifestyles of following migrating food sources.

At present, very close to my concept of freedom. As a retiree, my lifestyle's very simple, hence sufficiently financially secure enough to not be worried about the future. There's one more step to go where we're awaiting my husband's retirement in a few years, in order to move to a rural area and get off the electric grid, supplementing our diet with garden grown foods but still buying from organic sources.

 

[Mole]

In prosperous countries we have achieved external freedom, and we are learning how to achieve internal freedom.

This means moving from the authoritarian mindset to the mindset of empathy and creativity.

This is being resisted by authoritarian institutions and their members

 

[Norexan]

Freedom is greatest illusion and lie ever made.

 

[Mole]

We are born without freedom and only slowly achieve it.

But first we must achieve control. This takes a about 22 years, then comes the hard part: we must give up the control we have strugglevd towards for 22 years. No wonder most of us fall by the wayside and fail to achieve freedom, and naturally we blame everyone but ourselves.

 

[LightSun]

“Can people be fair, good, compassionate, and merciful? Of course people have that capacity. I'm saying we have a whole history of fighting for fairness.

There has been slavery since the beginning of time. Is this fair? No. We had to fight a war to establish this "fairness". Hello people there are still child and sex slaves in the world. Is this fair? Was it far that there was segregation? No. Was it fair that women had to fight to get the right to vote? No, but it is nonetheless history. Is it fair that there is female genital mutilation going on? Is it fair that there is the burning of widows on their husband’s funeral pyres going on in India?

Is it fair that we are wiping out animal species? I could go on. I stand by my original premise that both reality and human beings are generally not fair. It is a thought distortion. The sooner we come to grips with this, the sooner we can deal with reality more realistically in addition to being more effective. I very much think and believe this universe doesn't offer any real fairness. Life is not always fair. We must follow our moral conscience.

We must fight for the rights of the individual. Whether they be different, or what, is of no consequence. It is our responsibility as a great nation to be the standard-bearer of democracy, as well as the right's and individual freedom. It takes checks and balances. It takes the enforcement of fairness. Human beings seem to have a greed element. There also is the old adage of power corrupts. It also will take better communication skills along with emotional intelligence and empathy to instill fairness.

True freedom for me would necessitate the basics of human decency. This would include health care, education, a healthy happiness ratio percentage for our country and to close the gap between the super rich and poor. Only then can we march forward and reach our potential as a society in whole."

 

[The Cat]

Freedom is greatest illusion and lie ever made.

I thought that was safety?

Probably apples and oranges...

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

The right to maximal self determination, with all the potential pit falls and glories that entails.

 

[Dreamer]

Freedom is holding a true belief and confidence in yourself, that you can achieve what you put your mind towards, that the only thing standing in your way, is yourself. Removing those fears and hesitations, and shutting out the naysayers and those that attempt to hold you back because of their own insecurities. Their insecurities are their own, not yours to suffer through with them.

You will only go so far as your dreams will allow, so what's stopping you?