What is “Freedom” for you?

[Dreamer]

Freedom is one of those concepts I find myself returning to more often than others, one can associate with finding an inner happiness and satisfaction. It can be rather elusive for me because I feel I am able to define it, but in a hundred different ways. Freedom could mean, an inner peace, a freedom from pain. Freedom could relate to a financial freedom, not necessarily being wealthy, but having the sense that you are not tied down by debt, or at least, the emotional burden of debt. Freedom could mean finding your sense of independence, finding that first apartment away from home, or going off to university. Freedom could also mean having no obligation to others, or really, feeling like you aren’t obligated to others, and the times you assist and care for others, doesn’t feel like an obligation or burden.

It’s a bit odd then, that I feel like I can label it and visualize the essence of what the feeling of freedom truly means, as found in any of its forms, however, I also feel like it’s something I can never quite obtain, because there IS always another way to look at it, and how to grasp and further understand the the concept, by feeling that variety.

This post may come off “bloggish” or as if I’m seeking some advise, but it’s really more of the context of where this question comes from. I’m not interested in strict definitions of the term, but interested in what it personally means to you, and if it’s something you also find yourself constantly seeking, how would you describe the experience?

 

[phoenix31]

For me at this point in my life, freedom means making my own decisions and taking sole responsibility for my life instead of relying on others to dictate what my choices should be.

 

[Dreamer]

For me at this point in my life, freedom means making my own decisions and taking sole responsibility for my life instead of relying on others to dictate what my choices should be.

Ah yes, I actually think what you’ve said here may be a large aspect for me as well, and I don’t presume many people would typically associate “freedom” with personal responsibility, but I very much do relate and see the connection. It’s kind of like, if you’ve wronged someone, or you messed up in a way that could’ve negatively impacted you down the road, taking responsibility for that, owning up to it, in a way, resolves you of the sort of regret that could build over time, thereby holding you in its clutch, whether we wish to accept that or not, and that truly is very much a sense of freedom, but limiting the things that may hold onto us as we age and mature.

 

[Stigmata]

Living autonomously, without any sort of authoritarian entity which exists to infringe upon my desire to chart the course of my life based on my own goals and values.

I don't think if you live in a governed nation that you're every truly free -- Absolute freedom is anarchy. Yet, in developed nations, we sacrifice a degree of freedom for order and security.

 

[deathwarmedup]

Having agency.

 

[Quick]

It's not something I think about much, which probably means I have too much freedom

I think it's not possible to talk about freedom without talking about restraints. Without restraints, I don't actually view that as freedom because then there is no direction, no aim, no goal. In order to have freedom, you need to have a structure to adhere to and the option of choice. Sorry I can't help but breaking down what freedom is, even though the OP is asking how we identify freedom and the lack of it in our lives.

It's difficult for me to come up with personal examples to draw from... I have little structure that is imposed on me as opposed to from me and I suppose this gives a certain kind of freedom, but I think if I had a bit more direction for my life it would help me with my approach to life in general.

I think the most restricting kind of freedom and the restriction to be avoided, is the restriction of emotions. People gunna feel how they gunna feel. Still, a lot of the time people think certain emotions are "bad" to have/experience, which is not healthy at all.

 

[Mole]

We have discovered that power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. So we limit power through liberal democracy and human rights to maximise freedom.

 

[Mole]

It's not something I think about much, which probably means I have too much freedom I think it's not possible to talk about freedom without talking about restraints. Without restraints, I don't actually view that as freedom because then there is no direction, no aim, no goal. In order to have freedom, you need to have a structure to adhere to and the option of choice. Sorry I can't help but breaking down what freedom is, even though the OP is asking how we identify freedom and the lack of it in our lives. It's difficult for me to come up with person examples to draw from... I have little structure that is imposed on me as opposed to from me and I suppose this gives a certain kind of freedom, but I think have a bit more direction for my life it would help me with my approach to life in general. I think the most restricting kind of freedom and the restriction to be avoided, is the restriction of emotions. People gunna feel how they gunna feel. Still, a lot of the time people think certain emotions are "bad" to have/experience, which is not healthy at all.

The mark of emotional intelligence is emotional restraint.

 

[á´…eparted]

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.

 

[Quick]

The mark of emotional intelligence is emotional restraint.

No, it's restraint in how you control your behaviors, not how you restrain the emotion itself.

 

[Amberiat]

I think freedom is what each person believes it is. Every individual has a different view on what freedom is/should be, and I think everyone should seek their own freedom in whatever form it takes.

 

[Mole]

No, it's restraint in how you control your behaviors, not how you restrain the emotion itself.

So you advocate unrestrained emotion and restrained behaviour.

 

[Mole]

There is narcssistic freedom and social freedom.

Social freedom is based on liberal democracy and human rights.

So we are better off taking part in liberal democracy and joining a group working for human rights, while narcissism is disgusting.

 

[Quick]

So you advocate unrestrained emotion and restrained behaviour.

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.

 

[Fluffywolf]

I could do with a little less freedom. Or get some priorities. The indulgement of my life, the very definition of procrastination. Where art thou, mistress.

 

[anticlimatic]

Freedom is in fact dependent on restrictions. The more "freedoms" socieity has, the less free we are as individuals.

Freedom is a paradox that is balanced by equal and opposite restriction, and it is up to people how they wish to divide their lives between the two.

This begs a better question: in which ways should we be free, and which should we be restrained? Given the wholeness of the human condition- our mortality, depth of feeling, innovative potential, and spiritual needs- which freedoms are most conducive to fulfilling those?

Typically people on the left think freedom from fear and a restriction on thought and behavior is conducive to it, but that's short sighted and incorrect. Our inherit mortality makes any fundamental freedom from fear impossible, and restrictions on thoughts and behavior only inhibit our innovative potential, curiosity, and spiritual needs. It's the fundamental error that renders them wrong about pretty much everything, despite it all sounding legitimate on paper.

Since freedom from fear is ultimately impossible, the best thing humans can harness freedom for is the freedom to forge meaning in their lives- subjective or objective- as that much is a far more lasting investment. The restrictions they put on themselves to do so- of self discipline and determination in the face of fleeting negative emotions- are the same types of restrictions we thrived under as children, when they were imposed upon us by others. Choosing to impose them upon ourselves is the natural evolution of the process.

 

[The Cat]

If I'm really honest with myself; my ideas of freedom would probably cross into someone else's idea of lawless post civilization wilderness.

 

[Dreamer]

I think freedom is what each person believes it is. Every individual has a different view on what freedom is/should be, and I think everyone should seek their own freedom in whatever form it takes.

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.

 

[Dreamer]

So you advocate unrestrained emotion and restrained behaviour.

This is really a topic for another thread, though interesting to me, but do you suppose “restrained emotion” truly exists? Or is what we may think of as restrained emotion simply negating the reality of emotion. If redirect our focus away from our emotions towards other endeavors, aren’t they still very much present? Or are you defining restrained emotion differently than I am presuming?

 

[Fluffywolf]

wrong thread and am failing to delete this post.