On Freedom

 The concept of freedom is nuanced and often a very complex subject to handle. It allows others to question our understanding of freedom and even our eligibility to be free. If we are free, so are others. So, if I support feminism or communism, others have every right to reject it. If I am a dog lover, you might not be one. The problem is: do I accept or rather respect your difference of opinion? Academically, yes. Many of us would advocate for freedom of speech and end up saying, “Let’s agree to disagree.” But in my experience, almost none of us can genuinely accept differences of opinion - none! Your difference of opinion inevitably challenges my way of understanding, my intellect, my memory, and the biases on which I've constructed the foundation of my identity.

You undeniably pose a threat to my identity if you are not like me. And hence, the problem arises.

The second layer of this problem is even more complex. The idea of freedom is a concept that allows itself to be criticized. Is freedom necessary at all? If you believe in freedom of expression, technically, you should also acknowledge the authenticity of an autocrat and his right to be different. In fact, in many aspects of our lives when we have limited options to explore, when there are few choices available to us, and our freedom is constrained to only a few possible outcomes, we end up making the happiest decision for ourselves, if not the best one. It's always a matter of choosing between the most perfect option and the happiest option. If we have someone in our lives whom we love and trust, someone whom we don't want to disappoint, who inadvertently ties us to their choices and desires, and we constantly "report" to them to appear heroic in their eyes, we are essentially giving up our freedom. But here, it's not that I "can't" do this; it's that the absence of the freedom to do as I want is interpreted more as "I WON'T do this."

Very often, freedom is paradoxically limiting unless we know when to exercise it.

15 August, 2023