Foundations of Freedom
What Freedom Means in the Modern World
What Freedom Means in the Modern World
Freedom. It's a word we all know. But have you ever stopped to think what it actually means? Let's examine it together!
Defining Freedom
Back in the day freedom meant something much different than it does now. It's evolved from ancient concepts of liberty written on parchments, philosophized between academics and intellectuals, to discussing freedom of speech online by every man, woman and children posting memes about being dogs. Okay, that's a pretty old meme but you get the picture.
Freedom's Impact On Us, Personal story
I remember moving out of home, I was in my late teens. Due to my situation at the time it was an immensely freeing experience. That feeling was semi-fleeting, and lasted all the way up until real-life came knocking. Which was pretty quick as I had no money, no job, basically nothing except, thankfully a place to stay, and decent people. But I digress, how can we adequately capture that feeling with words? I'm sure we could use many metaphors, though that's freedom at a personal level. It's much bigger than that. It shapes our society, our laws, our everyday lives.
The Threats We Face
Right now freedom is under threat. Think about online censorship or government surveillance. Balancing freedom with security is made to seem like a tightrope walk. Is it as we're told? Or are we "voluntarily" giving up freedoms in exchange for an illusion of security, while at the same time sold a lie of freedom?
Then vs. Now, Historical Struggles
Freedom, and lack thereof, has come in many different forms over the years, all over the globe. One fight for freedom you may not have heard of is that in 1989, more than 2 million people came together in unity, joining hands to form a human chain. This chain spanned across three countries, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It was their way of peacefully demanding independence from Soviet rule. Not one shot was fined. This became known as the Baltic Way.
Fast forward to today and the hands have been replaced by routers and switches. The peaceful demand for independence and freedom have been replaced by volatile online forums, misinformation and totalitarian censorship. This is not only limited to online spaces, censorship and restrictions on speech and freedoms attempt and sometimes succeed in guiding legislation. it's a different battlefield in the modern era, but the core fight for liberty and self-expression remain the same.
My Take
I believe freedom and freedom of speech are non-negotiable. People tend to over complicate these, especially when it comes to freedom of speech. If you feel the need to tell people what they can and can't say, you're failing. Attempting to prevent people from speaking about things will never solve whatever the core issue is, it only serves to silence those who may have valuable input. Without freedoms don't we lose part of makes us human?
Conclusion
So, what does freedom mean to you? Ever had a moment where you felt truly free? Let's talk about it in the comments.
Agree 👍.