Monday, August 30, 2010

Freedom

I really don't understand what freedom is. I don't think anyone does. Why do we all claim to desire something we don't understand? I think Sartre may have been right when he said that humans are "condemned" to be free.

Is freedom just the ability to have choices? Then that means you are subject to the consequence of that choice. Also, with freedom comes the responsibilty to actually make a choice. And finally, the more free people there are, the more other people exist who are free to make choices that can contradict your choices, and thus diminish your freedom. It's as if there's only so much freedom around, and you can't spread it too thin.

Ram Dass said "if you think you are free, there is no chance of escape." We live in a "free" country where the government tells you who can marry, who you can have sex with, what you can consume, etc. But of course those laws are implemented, allegedly and often falsely, to keep people from infringing on the freedom of others.

But are we as humans truly free? "Free will" is a nice idea, but where can we see evidence of it? We are slaves to effects. Every action besides the first is just a reaction to something else. And since none of us caused the first action, we're all just in a very complex domino effect. We believe that when we react we choose in what way to do it. But we weren't there to choose which genes mixed to form our brain to form the thought that we mistake as our own. I didn't control the circumstances that led me to writing this right now, nor did I choose to be the kind of person who would react to those circunstances by writing this.

Unfortunately, even realizing this does not change it. I don't feel free, but I also don't see any method of escape, because I don't know what I would escape to. The world is a prison, yet the world contains prisons, so a prison must contain the world. We're just the middle section of a Russian doll that goes on forever.

6 comments:

  1. Are you writing all these post by yourself?

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  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. Reposted because of typos. -_-'

    Freedom, to me at least, is the ability of an individual to pursue their desires without violent opposition. While you're correct in your assessment of us being products of our environment, and thus just a complex domino effect, we have the ability to observe that fact subjectively and because of this we have choice. While you, as you are now, may not have chose to be the kind of person you are you did in fact choose to write this; and through a series of events I read it and chose to submit a response. At any point I could close the browser and this text would never reach you, that would be a choice.

    There is a school of thought that believes that while "we" as our individual personalities weren't present prior to our birth here "we" still existed and took part. We existed in a different awareness, but were conscious none the less. We the observer create the observed, and vice-versa. It's a beautiful and infinite paradox.

    I believe humanity will unite and create a fair society one day, and individuals will have the ability to pursue their own non-violent interest. The resources are there, the technology is there, and I believe the ball is rolling towards freedom for all Earth's People.

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  4. are you mentally gay? because my mind just got blown.

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  5. http://rogersroom001.blogspot.com/
    cool

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