Freedom, what does it mean to you?

[BlueStreak]

I think this term is important to us all. It certainly is to me, having placed myself in harms way to defend it. (I even have the word tattooed to my body.)

I see this word bandied about a lot these days, but folks seem to have different notions of what freedom is.

So, I was curious to see what your reaction to this simple yet vitally important question is.

I shall reserve comment until I have read everyones response.

God Bless you one and all, and God Bless the United States of America.

(Now I am off to Sears to buy some tools as my boss, and best friend, has told me, "Your Channellocks fuckin' blow. Go buy some new tools you cheap bastard!")

Dave

[merrylander]

That depends, the song lyrics say "Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose", taken in the sense that to be totally free you have no posessions, no family, no friends.

Freed om to me means that I can say what I want, think what I want, do what I want. Yet it also means that as I am a part of society I can only exercise my 'freedoms' as long as in the process I do not impose upon the freedoms of others.

At the risk of repeating myself, John Donne got it right "No man is an island . . ."

[Fast_Eddie]

I would add to Merrylander's comments by saying freedom to me would include freedom from fear. To that end, I'd like sufficient resources for law enforcement so I don't have to worry about someone breaking into my car if I decided I would like a nice stereo in it. I would like to know that if I get some kind of heart disease, I live in a country where I'm free from the fear that my insurance company will drop me or I won't be able to get the treatment I need because it costs too much. I'm more than willing to pay sufficient taxes to accommodate this.

Funny, I was working on the Capri in the garage and heard two neighbors having a friendly chat about taxes in the alley. One, an electrician who I like a lot, was saying he would like a flat tax. "You know, you make 100k you pay 15k". Hum, I though. I bet it wouldn't be 15k. Wonder what it would be?

[Sandy G]

Can't add a lot to what Rob or Ed said..

[BlueStreak]

Okay, that's three. Come on, I know there's more that want to chime in. Chas, TD, D-Ray, noonereal, painter, Grumpy, Pete,-------anyone?

I'll give it a day or so.

Oh,and let's try to save the arguments until after everyone has spoken their piece, please.

Dave

[d-ray657]

Freedom to me means living within the social contract. We take on the responsibility to act for the greater good in our contact and transactions with others in society. We agree to provide the resources necessary for a governing authority to act in the interest of the whole with respect to those things that affect the whole - i.e, defense, security, transportation, commerce (a very large umbrella, including such things as are necessary to provide that the commercial transactions in society are undertaken justly, and with due respect to the environment), international relations, and education. In those areas where individual conduct does not affect the interests of the whole, government's role is minimized, with respect to such matters as faith, thought, recreation, intimate contact, and expression.

In order to protect the society from overreaching by the governing authority, we exist under a body of laws, democratically enacted, which prescribe the role of those in authority. The laws take priority over the individual preferences of elected leaders. Those in authority are selected democratically. To further protect from overreaching, the people are free to question the actions of the government, to protest the actions of the government, and to join together for mutual aid and protection.

All the above does is basically repeat what has been said in the above posts: my freedom goes as far as your nose, and yours as far as mine, we live in an organized society to provide collective protection against illegitimate use of force, i.e. to provide security. But we do not choose to have society protect us from ourselves - because we have the freedom to make our own moral choices within the context of our individual lives, until such time as our choices adversely affect others.

But of course, the devil is in the details.

Regards,

D-Ray

[BlueStreak]

Wow! Well d-Ray has weighed in. It might take me a while to digest all of that. But, that's the whole point. Take your time, tell it like you think it.

Next!

Dave

[BlueStreak]

Come on, don't be afraid.................

Dave

[elwood127]

Simple, leave me the hell alone to do what I want as long as it doesn't cause a murder.

[noonereal]

I think the term "Freedom" is used as a rally call to patriotism.
The term "Patriotism" is important. Patriotism is placing your country ahead of the individual and fighting for freedom is fighting for our country. We can disagree within our own country but we stand united in the face of the rest of the world.


Our freedoms are the freedoms of the masses before the individual.