Freedom

Who doesn’t, on occasion, dream of being freed from the weight of expectations and tradition? Or even the “rule of law.” There’s one for ya- the rule of law. It’s a convenient weapon rolled out from time to time by those who just can’t handle the truth of an ever-increasing diversity of cultures and color and perspective.

Freedom is an illusion. I suppose I could argue that I have the “freedom” to do whatever I want, because this is America and no one takes my guns away.

Freedom is often spoken of as an absolute, or at least a birthright, when at best it is another concept treated in relative terms. Not everyone is born equal, for starters.

Any member of a civil society is not free in an absolute way. There are obligations and responsibilities. And yes, prohibitions. Of course, debate ensues regarding whether or not these things apply to all, or to some more than others.

It may seem that we most days operate with a certain autonomy- no one tells us what time to get up in the morning, we can make a trip to the store or mow the lawn as needed, we can hit the road and get away for the weekend, we can read a book or sit in front of a computer screen or TV for hours on end.  I guess you could call this freedom- it’s what we make it, what we tell ourselves.

But freedom to just do or say whatever we want? That’s never been the deal.