What Is Freedom And Is Humanity Worthy Of It?
Can humanity truly be free, when there are so many things, which we have no control over? There are many different perspective us and insights relating to this question and all are essentially correct.
The fact is, as long as we have the freedom to define life and live it for ourselves, then we are free. Because of the subjectivity that perspective creates, the question becomes; are we truly free, even if we believe we?
The answer empirically is no, but is it fair to count that which is a natural limitation against choice, like being stuck in a flood or the laws of physics? It is, but this isn't the type of freedom we should be addressing. We need to be addressing the limiting of our freedoms by our own brethren.
In my opinion, our very limited vocabulary creates more disagreement than it does understanding. We need to have one definition per word for a thorough understanding. We tend to make things harder than they need to be.
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Here's the official definition of freedom according to Mirriam-Webster Take note of definition 1.a)
definition of freedom
1 : the quality or state of being free: such as
a : the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action
b : liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another : independence
c : the quality or state of being exempt or released usually from something onerous
>freedom from care
d : unrestricted use
>gave him the freedom of their home
e : ease, facility
>spoke the language with freedom
f : the quality of being frank, open, or outspoken
>answered with freedom
g : improper familiarity
h : boldness of conception or execution
I count four completely different uses of the word and another one if you separate what limits that freedom. Do you believe our current system of language is as it should be or would four separate words clear up a lot of confusion this lack of clarity causes? I believe the latter should be our goal. This is definitely a topic to expand on in the future.
Now let's narrow in on the definition I feel the word represents best. Definition 1-a shows beyond a shadow of a doubt, not one government allows their inhabitants to live freely. Many in America like to call their country the "Most Free Nation", which is an oxymoron. If you are unable to freely make any decision, which harms no one, you are not even close to free.
I personally define freedom as, " having an unrestricted access to provide for one's needs, as long as such action causes no more harm than necessary." Necessary harm is " taking/killing only what you need to survive. This is much easier to discern than the ridiculously complicated legal jargon used by authority. I believe it's this way by design.
So, I believe the unnecessary limiting of your choices by your own species, because of the "possible" negatives the minority "may" do is slavery. Add to that, the lifestyle limitations employers put on employee's and you get near complete enslavement.
Does your perspective change when you look at the issue more closely? It did for me. This is why the American Government wants the government and private sectors to be separate. The U.S. Constitution limits what the government can do, but not private entities. So, the government works closely with private businesses in many ways to take more of your freedom's, while blaming it on others. This should be unacceptable to everyone, but isn't.
Hopefully, even if you disagree with any of my points above, I have detailed it well enough for you to understand the perspective I am attempting to convey.
Even though I have narrowed down the definition spotlighted for this opinion piece, we now have to address the different perspectives on whether we deserve this level of freedom or if the evils that men do deserve proactive attention.
You don't have to be free if you choose not to. Choice is the key word.
The dependent needn't lose the freedom to choose less freedom. The independent just need more choice. This is where living voluntarily comes into play. As long as we have choices, we are free. Choices on every level though, not just merely having some choices.
Right now, governments control every inch of the earth. There is no other choice than to live under the law of another. I believe a holistic approach for adding the choice to self govern, would be a tradition like the Amish Rumspringa as one example.
The purpose of Rumspringa
Contrary to belief, Amish parents do not “encourage” their youth to leave home and experiment with sinful behaviors—nor do they condone it. At the same time, there must be at least a semblance of free choice in the decision to become Amish. Amish parents may disapprove of their teens’ behaviors, but do not necessarily exercise authority to prevent some of those behaviors.
A truly freedom loving government would not only allow this type of life it would ensure it. Instead of trying to gain as much land as possible, it would acquire only as much land as necessary. Leaving the majority of the land open to free access.
No matter what you believe, all life has equal right to the Earth. The only species that disrespects others are humans and a small handful of us are in control of everything manmade and a large portion of the natural. This is interesting since many define humanity as;
Definition of humanity
1 : compassionate, sympathetic, or generous behavior or disposition : the quality or state of being humane
Yet the majority only apply this to other humans or when it benefits themselves. Government's are anything, but humane and the same goes for many corporations.
As civilization ages, we seem to become more domesticated and sensitive. It would be one thing if we were moving towards a better more humane and free society, but we are becoming worse. This should be a clear sign the status quo isn't working, which it isn't. "Humanity" is now simply the plural conjugation for our species. Unnecessary fear has resulted in our current situation.
What do you see most of when watching the news? Love, peace and prosperity or crime, evil and hate? Governments know that fear is the key for control and create fear wherever possible. Since the media tends to strengthen this fear, especially in America, I believe it's not ridiculous to consider the self defined free media as state run propaganda in actuality.
Humanity seems to be moving torward an information crisis. We must try to perfect society and to do this we must be more tolerant and get our information from more sources, not fewer and trusting none of it. I believe Blogging is a huge step towards enlightenment. The platforms which do not censor are the only one's we should trust. SteemIt is one such platform. We must put in the legwork to make sure the information we live by is accurate.
The goal should be towards a society that strives for all to succeed and prosper. The current system stifles growth and we must come together with solutions. This means we the people must organize and begin this change through our children.
We have always, throughout the ages had small pockets of people doing just that, but for some reason it has never caught on. The birth of Christianity was one and the story of Jesus defines a voluntary life. A few others that are more recent were labelled Hippies and New Age . All of these are essentially the same and the idea has been around for thousands of years.
I believe a world which is truly enlightened would go back to the clan or tribal structure. Not only would this be the most representative of the populations needs, but would be a breeding ground for new ideas and the way to test these ideas in the real world. The good will survive, the bad will be squashed and the successful will become the next step in our evolution.
Living as a free species requires a proactive community. This starts with parenting. We need to create strong traditions, not laws. We enforce these traditions by showing real world consequences and not rewarding unsavory behavior. Many primitive culture's which exist to this day are great examples.
If you cannot provide you die, starve, freeze, etc. If you attempt to take from another, because you are lazy you may be killed. There is no judge, this is done on the spot. You may think this will be abused, but the community has the ability to hold any action accountable and it happens despite the law now.
Anarchy doesn't mean no rules, it stands for no ruler's. The same goes for Democracy. A Democracy is where everyone has a say on all issue's. Currently on this Earth and within our history book's, there has never been a true democracy where there has been a ruler.
This should all make you take pause and think about why you have been lied to. Why are you told you live in a Democracy and are free, when a simple glance into a dictionary proves this wrong? Why are your thoughts so easily guided, when the truth is right in front of you?
For American's, when your government cages more of it's citizen's in the name of safety than the next three largest countries combined, yet your safety is always under attack, how can you feel this is better than if we were free? Law has not been a very good deterrent.
I believe it would be the same under both conditions, so going the way of freedom is the best choice. At least then you can defend yourself without being treated as a criminal. We cannot control nature and everything boils down to chance. Accepting this fact rather than trying to control outcomes will put humanity back on the correct path.
What alternative do you propose?
Are you a leader or a follower?
I am not here to stand on the soap box and preach. I care about the issues addressed dearly and am hoping to spark discussion. If you feel I bring something worth consideration, please like, comment, resteem and/or follow.
Thank you for sharing your time with me. The key to life is living mindfully. Let's be tolerant of all ideas, which harm no one and #Pay-It-Forward.
Here are some more related blogs authored by me relating to my thoughts expressed here. I am here to strengthen community, not stand on a soap box. Your opinions are wanted, as we all help each other grow as individuals.
The key is to listen, especially to other's you disagree with. We tend to shut out other's opinions we disagree with as soon as we hear something we don't like. If we allow other's to speak freely and finish their thought, I bet you will learn something from them and vise-versa.
Https://mspsteem.com/introduceyourself/@notconvinced/hello-steemians-this-is-me
https://mspsteem.com/philosophy/@notconvinced/a-new-chapter-and-evolution
https://mspsteem.com/philosophy/@notconvinced/and-i-have-a-philosophical-side-the-meaning-of-life
https://mspsteem.com/mspsteem/@notconvinced/why-i-choose-to-live-mindful-and-minimally
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