#freedom #WhatWeThinkFreedomIs #guns #laws #America
What does freedom mean?
We all have an idea of what WE think freedom is.
But, definitions are not necessarily universal.
The simple definition is the ability to do what we want, when we want and how we want.
But, because we are not alone in the universe, and we live among others who live different lifestyles, have different religious beliefs etc., freedom cannot be absolute. In other words, one is not free to harm someone else in his quest for freedom.
Secondly, one’s freedom to live as he or she sees fit does not carry the freedom to oppress others.
As an example, one can follow one’s religious beliefs strictly within his or her own life. He or she is not free to impose his or her religious beliefs on others. That’s why, in more perfect democracies, secular law remains religiously neutral.
In another example, one may be free to own a firearm. But laws are designed to manage how one uses and maintains that firearm. Owning a gun does not give you the right to use it on someone else in an offensive scenario.
A group may preach “freedom,” yet impose restrictions on others who don’t fall in line with their beliefs.
You can’t be free to make others less free.
Few in this world want to live under authoritarian rule, with no individual freedom. But one must take care not to use the quest for freedom to exhibit authoritarian tendencies.
So how do you define freedom? The easiest way to define it might be “live, and let live.”
In America, you are free to be you. And, you should want to protect others from those who do not want people to be who they are.
You may not be free to be a criminal. But, you should feel free to do what you want in your own life, without harming others in the process.
Circumstances may demand certain things from you. Some demands – and restrictions – are reasonable. You would be wise to know the difference between unreasonable demands and those that ensure safety and well-being of all.
“Let Freedom Ring,” ends the patriotic song “America.”
The freedom sung of in that song is one that recognizes its many definitions.
The lyric tells us we are free, and should rejoice that we are. But it also tells us that others have to be free, too. Our lives should be free, and others’ lives should be free.
If we all substituted the word “freedom” with kindness, courtesy, humility, care and love, we might really know true freedom.
Peter
Tag Archives: freedom
WHAT IS REAL CHOICE, OR FREEDOM?
#choice #freedom #FreedomofChoice #limitations #DiversityofThought
Whoever thought that the concept of choice would be so misunderstood?
Freedom is a second concept that seems misconstrued in today’s world.
Those combine for the misconception of the term Freedom of Choice.
Let’s start with choice. A person walks into a store, is confronted with an array of choices, decides and buys.
That simple concept has evolved into a case of having an array of choices in life, none of which is ideal. That means one has to decide on the lesser of evils. Some may feel that way as they, say, walk into a voting booth. Just because no choice is ideal doesn’t mean we should not make a choice. By all means, go to the polls and vote!
We have to evaluate in our minds which choice would be, for lack of a better term, less bad.
In terms of voting, sometimes one must use his or her vote to help prevent the worst of choices from getting elected.
In short, our lives revolve around choices. There may not be such things as the BEST choices, but, chances are, if the majority of one’s choices are BETTER, the better one’s life will turn out.
Freedom is another matter. Often, those who talk a lot about freedom do not want any of us to be free at all. THEY want to be free to make the rules, but they expect us to follow THEIR rules.
As a corollary, complete freedom for EVERY individual would lead to community chaos. Therefore, freedom has, and must have, its limits.
As an example, one may want to paint his or her house bright purple. But, neighbors will find it an eyesore, affecting their property value. Therefore, Mr. or Ms. purple house need some sort of approval to paint.
Most of what we do, and decisions we make, affect others. Therefore, we are not completely free to do as we wish, in many instances. So, we must agree on limitations and abide by those agreements. It’s called compromise, which has become a dirty word among a few.
If absolute freedom and best choices are not available to us in practical terms, what exactly is Freedom of Choice?
Does the concept really exist? How do we reconcile confining choice and limiting freedom into what most would see as a good life?
It involves being free to choose one’s limitations. It involves coexisting in a community in which there are diverse ideas of limiting freedom and choosing better.
To quote a Rolling Stones lyric, “You can’t always get what you want. But, if you try, sometimes you get what you need.”
We live in a world of diverse ideas of freedom and choice. That’s not something to be feared. It’s something to be embraced.
We actually might not only learn from each other, but also might draw from others’ belief systems ideas that will improve our own.
We may not be free to choose everything. But we should be grateful that we are allowed to experience diversity of thought, lifestyle and ideas. We can all be better for that privilege.
Peter
FREEDOM, MANDATES AND OVERREACH
#overreach #rules #regulations #beliefs #freedom
Everyone wants freedom.
Few, if anyone, want mandates.
Still others object to overreach.
That is, until one, or one’s representatives, gets power.
People are out there protesting for their “freedom.” The emphasis should be on the word “their.”
They want the freedom to do what THEY want, but don’t want others to have the freedom to do what “THEY” want.
They object to mandates that they don’t want, but are happy to mandate on others things those others don’t want.
Some will object to overreach by this or that entity. But, those same folks are happy to overreach when seeking their own goals.
Yes, democracy is not easy. One person’s freedom is another’s violation of beliefs. One person’s mandate opposition is another’s necessity.
In short, we want our own freedom, but are willing to impose restrictions on others that those others do not want.
It’s all about power, and who has it. It’s all about making the system work for YOU, regardless of whether it works for others.
To paraphrase the James Bond title, it’s the Live and Let Die syndrome.
To make society better for everyone, we have to be more “live and let live.”
One does not have to adopt others’ beliefs, but that same person should not impose his beliefs on others.
We end up with laws and policies imposed on people by others who would not be affected by them.
One is entitled to a set of beliefs that suits him or her. One is entitled to follow rules and norms that are part of those beliefs.
But, when one imposes those rules and norms on others who don’t necessarily follow those same beliefs, it crosses a line that need not, and should not, be crossed.
There are certain rules imposed on everyone that have been demonstrated to contribute to the public good. There is, more or less, general agreement on those.
But imposing unnecessary restrictions aimed at specific groups is wrong, no matter the imposer.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely, as the adage goes.
We all should be able to live in a diverse world without feeling marginalized or oppressed. We all should be able to find common good among differences.
We will not change the world by imposition. The world will evolve, no matter who imposes what.
Peter
FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY
#freedom #responsibility #COVID19 #coronavirus #FlattenTheCurve #vaccinations
Personal freedom is your right.
But you have to use it responsibly.
You have the right to hurt yourself, but you have the responsibility not to hurt others.
To paraphrase the late Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, you have the right to swing your fist, but the responsibility not to bloody someone’s nose.
To again paraphrase Ben Franklin, we have the right to create a republic, but the responsibility to do what we must to keep it.
Personal freedoms are not just given. They are given with the caveat that we will use them responsibly.
Most of us, deep down, understand the concept. But, today, there are a few who apparently do not.
In terms of COVID-19 vaccinations, you have the right to refuse it, get ill, even die, though no one wishes that for anyone. You don’t have the right to get the virus and, however unintentionally, give it to someone else.
It all boils down to risk. Most everything we do in life involves risk. We make decisions on what to do, or not do, based on a risk (and reward) assessment.
Certainly, not all risks are worth taking. Some risks can be minimized. Some can be avoided. The key is to determine your risk tolerance based on good information, a strong feeling of self-preservation and a strong desire not to inflict unwanted hardship on others – even others you may not know.
Risk also abounds in the workplace. Most people, unless they are in knowingly risky professions, don’t see taking a job as a risk.
In fact, they see taking a job as a necessity, regardless of the hardship it brings. The risk comes in the form of missed opportunity, taking Job X instead of Job Y.
What if you took Job X, but Job Y is completely different. And you could do Job Y while keeping Job X?
There are programs out there that allow people to, while they are off from Job X, to devote a few part-time hours to Job Y. Perhaps, eventually, unless they really love Job X, Job Y may be all they need to thrive financially.
To learn about one of the best such programs, message me.
Personal freedom ALWAYS comes with responsibility.
Think of freedom like a paycheck. You have the right to collect it, but you have the responsibility to do what you must to earn it.
One craves the freedom, but also must embrace the responsibility. One has the freedom to marry, but one must have the responsibility of fidelity to that marriage.
One has the freedom to choose, but has the responsibility to choose wisely.
One has the freedom to be a daredevil, but has the responsibility to ensure daredevil antics hurt no innocent bystanders.
So, if you support personal freedom, you MUST support taking the responsibility it requires.
Freedom and requirement are not mutually exclusive terms. We all cherish the freedom the U.S. allows. We have the responsibility to ensure that freedom does not hurt others.
Peter
DO WHAT YOU KNOW, NOT WHAT YOU FEEL
A slogan from the 1960s said: “If it feels good, do it.”
It was a way to assert one’s freedom , to branch out from what was socially acceptable into an area that was, well, not.
We all love to do what feels good, but it might be better to follow the advice of author, speaker and TV personality Les Brown: “do what you know, not what you feel.”
Brown is saying that we should do what we know we need to do, not just what feel like doing.
Let’s take that a step further. We know we need to eat right and exercise. But at a given moment, we might feel like relaxing on the couch with a big piece of chocolate cake. If you’ve exercised and eaten right most of the day, perhaps relaxation and a piece of cake are well deserved. But eating cake EVERY day because it feels good is not a good habit.
This works to the contrary as well. Sometimes, after a highly stressful day at work, you KNOW there is take-home work to do, but you want to just relax. You may need the relaxation more than the extra work. You may need balance in your life. Sometimes, your body tells you to back off work awhile.
Also, doing what you know you should do may mean spending more time with your family, instead of tackling that take-home work. A good rule here: if work really can wait, let it, if you are at home.
Some other activities make us feel good, but may keep us from doing what we know we should. Television is a perfect example. If you are neglecting something you know you should be doing but believe you don’t have time, think about how much time you may spend watching television.
Sure, the little screen is big entertainment, and very enjoyable. Some programming is certainly worth watching (much, sadly, is not). If you are doing what you know you should, chances are you are doing it with no remote in hand.
Many people get introduced to opportunities to change their lives and live their dreams, but pass it by because, “I couldn’t put another thing on my plate.” Some people really can’t. But most don’t want to change their lives badly enough to check it out.
You see, they will tell you that they are doing what they know they should be doing, and not what they feel like doing. Their plates may be overflowing, they are stressed, yet comfortable. Tackling something new and different would be uncomfortable. Perhaps they don’t realize what their lives are doing to them – and not doing for them.
Does that sound like you?
Perhaps you FEEL you have to do what you do, and neglecting some of what you REALLY should be doing, and don’t even know it.
Do you know there might be something better out there for you? If it were presented to you, would you want to look at it? If so, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau.
If you KNOW you are not doing what you should be doing much of the time, but feel like you HAVE to do what you’re doing, then look for something that will encourage you to do more of what you should be doing.
Only you can know what that is. Only you can act on doing those things. Only you can change your life, if it needs changing.
That doesn’t mean you don’t treat yourself to a little decadence once in a while. But don’t eat cake EVERY day, at the expense of the right foods and exercise.
But your dreams are waiting. Eventually, why not eat your cake, and still have it.
Peter