The Elements of Freedom

To what extent are we free? What does it mean to be free? The 21st century is said to be the age where there is more freedom than ever across the world.

Does that mean that we can express our thoughts just as they arise in our minds? No. To live straight from the heart, to speak from the depths of our feelings requires courage. But should it require courage in a truly free society? Clearly, the need to exercise courage indicates the presence of fear.

I think our freedom is dictated by the presence or absence of two safeguards - legal and social. Will you be locked away for speaking your mind? If not, are there any social consequences i.e. will you be made a social outcaste?

The law can guarantee safety but it can't guarantee social approval and acceptance (and it shouldn't as it needs to protect the right to disagree). However, it is the manner in which one disagrees which either encourages or discourages freedom to flourish. Thus, boosting freedom in societies is as much a personal endeavour as a political and legal one.

For the quality of freedom is ultimately determined by the style in which we disagree. The more hostile the style, the more you feel that there is no freedom outside but in our minds alone.

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