What Does Freedom Mean to Me

WHAT DOES FREEDOM MEAN TO ME

Freedom is defined as being free from restraints, though I consider freedom as having the right to express myself and be me. I believe that freedom is the right to speak and act the way I want, ensuring that my freedom does not limit others' freedoms and rights. According to Howie (2018), many countries do not have freedom for their citizens and does not allow their citizen to criticize the government or express their free opinion on the public. Incidents of criticizing the government have severe consequences, including being fined or imprisoned because of their will to have freedom. Therefore, I believe that having freedom can express yourself and express one's ideas. However, I think that freedom is perceived differently by various people. For instance, the African-Americans perception of freedom was escaping from brutal slavery and having the right to education (Finley, 2017). The community perceived these goals as freedom since the community around them had already achieved; thus, they considered free and education as goals to freedom. However, the definition of freedom by African American slaves coincides with my definition of freedom, "having the right to express myself and be me." Additionally, I believe freedom is about happiness and having the ability to do things that complete me since doing what I love makes me feel in control. For example, freedom enables me to talk the way I want and explain myself the way I think is better without offending other people. Similarly, believe that freedom is being able to protest for what is right, defending and express my ideas. For example, each morning, I wake up without fear of living. I am always confident to act like my usual self since our past men and women fought to ensure that we have freedom and we are safe (Bush, 2017). Therefore, I define the ability to live freely as freedom that gives me the confidence to live my day. Also, I perceive freedom as being socially, politically, morally, and financially able to do everything that a man can do. To be socially, politically, and ethically free means that I can read what I choose, dress how I like, and no longer be forced into issues. Therefore, my definition of freedom coincides with a quote by a relationship development assistant, Tracey Koehler, who states, "Freedom is being able to choose my path in life, business or relationships, and not being told it is wrong or impossible” (Staff, 2020). Therefore, freedom is a state of independence where individuals can act the way they want and like without restriction. Similarly, I believe independence is a state of mind where you have the right and freedom to be happy and having the ability to do things that make me complete. Another aspect that I believe is freedom is choosing what is best from the available options to generate happiness. Freedom is being able to commit an act regardless of its consequences. However, studies show that it exists through choice (Bejan, 2019). Therefore, achieving individual freedom is based on how one defines freedom. To me, freedom is being able to be happy by choosing the best freedom options. Lack of such choices is equal to the absence of freedom. Therefore, I confine myself with a liberalistic approach where freedom lacks enforcement from other individuals' side. Similarly, I define it as free will, which contrasts the notion of necessity. Based on the moral philosophy, freedom implies an individual with responsibility and imputes his words and actions on merit. I also believe that demand for freedom is a biological response of humans as revealed by people who contested against their oppressors without considering whether there was any hope or not- colonialist. However, if an individual does not recognize their freedom, they do not possess it. In conclusion, freedom is the right to do what I want and having the right to express myself.

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References

Bejan, T. M. (2019). Two Concepts of Freedom (of Speech). Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 163(2), 95-107.

Bush, S. S. (2017). The politics of rating freedom: Ideological affinity, private authority, and the Freedom in the World ratings. Perspectives on Politics, 15(3), 711.

Finley, M. I. (2017). Between slavery and freedom. In Critical Readings on Global Slavery (pp. 277-296). Brill.

Howie, E. (2018). Protecting the human right to freedom of expression in international law. International journal of speech-language pathology, 20(1), 12-15.

Staff, SUCCESS. (2020, April 16). 12 Things Freedom Means to Us. SUCCESS. https://www.success.com/12-things-freedom-means-to-us/.