Freedom isn't Free
Freedom appears to be most sought after by all men. The intelligentsia of enlightenment let out a euphoric cry of victory when it declared its freedom from the clutches of age old traditions and normative values which were based on the belief in an absolute God.
As man began to enjoy and revel in the new found freedom, he saw life from a humanistic perspective where freedom was perceived without a freedom Giver. In spite of the initial euphoria, the plight of enjoying freedom without knowing the freedom Giver slowly lead to a point at which it wasn’t known any more why freedom was given. And none was surprised when the famous existentialist philosopher from France Jean Paul Sartre said ‘I am condemned to be free’.
To Sartre in his enlightened world that was almost a couple of centauries old by then, he found not coherence all he observed was ‘absurd’. He did not know why man had to live? Why life should make any sense at all? Absurdity and nausea were the only certainties in life. But in spite of all senselessness, there was freedom.
In this context of absurdity where no unity of purpose or being in life, freedom becomes a curse because one does not know how freedom should be used. One cannot ever know if there is ever a right way of using freedom, but freedom exists. So such a freedom becomes a burden rather than a gift because the enlightened worldview has rejected the freedom Giver who is the person who knows the purpose and the limits of freedom.
His predicament is like that of one who is put in a fighter aircraft without any ‘revelation’ as to how to operate or what each of the controls are for. Such a person has absolute freedom to do all he wants, but the freedom is his curse because he knows not the purpose of such a freedom.
Freedom comes at a price and there is a price that has to be paid by the freedom Giver and a price that is to be paid by the freedom receiver. The freedom Giver pays a price in taking the risk of giving freedom to another. The freedom receiver pays a price in trying to ‘know’ how freedom should be enjoyed and by trying to align himself to the prerogatives set by the freedom Giver.
Freedom does have its limits, in the sense that freedom works within the framework where it is supposed to work for limitless freedom cannot be freedom any more because at that point freedom becomes nonsensical.
Purposeless freedom is meaningless, the price for freedom is the willingness to submit to the freedom Giver in knowing the purpose and the way to enjoy freedom.
As man began to enjoy and revel in the new found freedom, he saw life from a humanistic perspective where freedom was perceived without a freedom Giver. In spite of the initial euphoria, the plight of enjoying freedom without knowing the freedom Giver slowly lead to a point at which it wasn’t known any more why freedom was given. And none was surprised when the famous existentialist philosopher from France Jean Paul Sartre said ‘I am condemned to be free’.
To Sartre in his enlightened world that was almost a couple of centauries old by then, he found not coherence all he observed was ‘absurd’. He did not know why man had to live? Why life should make any sense at all? Absurdity and nausea were the only certainties in life. But in spite of all senselessness, there was freedom.
In this context of absurdity where no unity of purpose or being in life, freedom becomes a curse because one does not know how freedom should be used. One cannot ever know if there is ever a right way of using freedom, but freedom exists. So such a freedom becomes a burden rather than a gift because the enlightened worldview has rejected the freedom Giver who is the person who knows the purpose and the limits of freedom.
His predicament is like that of one who is put in a fighter aircraft without any ‘revelation’ as to how to operate or what each of the controls are for. Such a person has absolute freedom to do all he wants, but the freedom is his curse because he knows not the purpose of such a freedom.
Freedom comes at a price and there is a price that has to be paid by the freedom Giver and a price that is to be paid by the freedom receiver. The freedom Giver pays a price in taking the risk of giving freedom to another. The freedom receiver pays a price in trying to ‘know’ how freedom should be enjoyed and by trying to align himself to the prerogatives set by the freedom Giver.
Freedom does have its limits, in the sense that freedom works within the framework where it is supposed to work for limitless freedom cannot be freedom any more because at that point freedom becomes nonsensical.
Purposeless freedom is meaningless, the price for freedom is the willingness to submit to the freedom Giver in knowing the purpose and the way to enjoy freedom.