Freedom

Absolute freedom.
A common demand by every one of us, but how much do we really want it?
And if everyone wants it why is our society based upon the lack of it.
It is true that men have fought some thousands of wars over it or with the excuse of it. Poetry, prose, music and painting have been used as tools to demand or praise freedom.

But what is freedom first of all?
According to the American Heritage dictionary it is: The condition of being free of restrains. The capacity to exercise choice; free will.
Freedom is indeed the absence of boundaries and limits of any sort, whether that be a leaders will, unwritten rules, laws or even society’s demands.
One person alone, hypothetically at least, can be absolutely free.

Two people, living in the same place, can never be free. Society, human interaction is what limits our freedom.
But, we are social beings, at least according to Aristotle.
How can we then be free and part of society? We cant!

Freedom is a Myth.

There is no absolute freedom.
Ever since man created societies there has been none, ever.
It is Just as Lenin said:

"While the State exists, there can be no freedom. When there is freedom there will be no State."

Society and freedom can’t co-exist.
Living in a society, any kind of society, be it a family, a school or a community, is not possible without the compromise of our freedom. Everything we say, everything we do is controlled and limited for the good of others and ourselves.

Laws too are a compromise.

Laws were established after all to serve society. Law is an agreement, in which we compromise and limit our freedom in order for everyone to do the same and therefore protect ourselves from others. Since laws are then the foundation of our society, then our society is based upon a compromise of our freedom.

Let’s look at an everyday example. Fashion.

Fashion is another aspect through which we can realize even rather simplistically the torment of absolute freedom.

Imagine entering this huge shop, your choices are indeed infinite. You have no limitations. How would you feel? Excited? Take a second to think about it. My guess is that were it not for fashion’s do’s and don’t ‘s you would be lost in that chaos. What would you base your choice on? Taste? Who do you think forms that taste? Isn’t it society?

Because we live in a society, we have the comfort of choosing what is accepted by our group; that is what gives us the reassurance that our choice is approved of by someone else.

Now think of something utterly different: What is your dream career? What are you going to do in your life? Do you think you really have the freedom to choose?

First and foremost there is your…mother and maybe your father! Your family has a tremendous influence on your choice. What is more, we could never exclude from the factors that, “have a say” on your career choice, your sex, your skin color, your social status and even your talent! These are all “little” things that together create a barrier between you and your freedom.

But, there is still freedom of thought, right?

Even what you think is limited by society, if your thoughts are immoral or abnormal you are taught to dismiss them yourself, you are taught to consider them sinful and evil.

What freedom then is there? Even in thinking? Shame and morality are the yoke of the minds and souls.

Hence, we cannot have societies if we want to be free. Without societies, though, man cannot survive. Thanks to society we endured when we were the least able to face nature. It was the society that enabled us to progress.

We have established then that there is no absolute freedom within society’s framework. Yet everyone cries for it, demands it, even fights for it.

Possibly because we haven’t realized what absolute freedom really is.

Well according to many philosophers, amongst whom Nietzsche holds a prominent position, crime is the only act of freedom.

Crime, breaking the law, is in fact an act against the social group one is a part of, yet at the same time it is the only absolute act of freedom because it is an act that breaks all limitations and restrictions.

But, we need not go to such extremes, even on principle we don’t want freedom, because freedom scares us. Or as George Bernard Shaw put it: "Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it."

You all must have at least once wished you could go back and those happy days when you were kids, when you were young, didn’t have wrinkles, didn’t have a drivers license and didn’t have to worry about taxes. Well taxes are exactly my point. The reason why you want to go back to your childhood is because it is the age when you had less freedom, less freedom meant less responsibility, you were not to blame and would not be held accountable for your mistakes.

From where I stand it is clear that people, having experienced both freedom and its responsibility and the wild joy of being happy for not having to make agonizing choices, prefer the latter.

Having doubts?

Take a moment to consider how Robinson Crusoe might have felt, all alone, well that is before Friday appeared, on a deserted island. He obviously was facing a huge dilemma; he could either build a boat and try to “go home” or stay put and try to make the most out of his situation. In either choice there is a certain amount of risk. Robinson can either die alone on an island or die trying to find his way home; neither of his choices are pleasant.

I believe Crusoe would rather not have to make that choice! Because he is absolutely free, society-wise, but he himself cannot help resenting the fact that he will have to suffer the consequences of his actions while having absolutely no kind of limitation or norm to abide by or anyone to blame. If he could only ask his mother…

To conclude, freedom by definition is not compatible with society, our free will is anything but free. Yet even when not confined by society human beings are not willing to accept the responsibility that freedom brings. Freedom is a Myth.

My version of the graduation speech-"the greatest problems humanity is facing today and what solutions can you suggest?"

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I won’t pretend I am in the position to judge you, because I like you and like the entire almost western world belong to the rich minority of the planet. We are all responsible for the foggy and uncertain future that awaits. Maybe it is not the generation graduating today that is to blame for the condition of the earth, concerning both the environment and the people, but we definitely have lived a part of our lives in the same way the people before us did, thus perpetuating the problems. If you feel guilt free, on the bases that you don’t manage one of the pollution-producing multi million corporations all over the world, you ought to reconsider. Every action we all took tonight, ladies and gentlemen, before we came here makes us partly responsible for the main problems humanity is facing. Let me follow the course of events: few hours, or many, before you came here you started getting ready. You took a shower probably long, 10-20 minutes. Then, you dried your hair with a hairdryer without using a towel first. You went upstairs, maybe, and got dressed, and with the exception of those of us wearing the black gown, most of the rest wore clothes that although were designed in Italy or France were made in China or Taiwan. To make a long story short, the majority of us came here driving a car whose parts were made in the most unprivileged places in the world and emits gases that are detrimental for the environment.

Each one of these steps was yet another hit on the health of the planet and its people, another alibi for the governments all over the planet not to break the vicious circle of inequality.

What are the charges?

The water you used to have your long shower was more than the amount an average family drinks in Africa in a day maybe even a week. What is more the water you, we so freely use is not going to be available to us for ever. The source of all life is not going to be enough to go around. One day we are going to get seriously thirsty and that day is not very far away, think of Australia where the people have already started to look for ways to make sea water drinkable, think of Greece where this year areas such as Thessalia and the island will face droughts and irrigation anomalies. And above all think of Africa and Asia where girls of 6 years and up don’t go to school so they have the time to go every morning searching for 4 to 8 hours for water to bring home. This is their reality, now, today and ours tomorrow.

Further more, the fact that you didn’t towel dry your hair had as a result the misuse of an amount of energy that may not seem so little if you consider that are energy resources are running out rapidly. Burning coal and petrol to produce electricity is both harmful for the environment and based on a finite source!

But most importantly energy resources along with the lack of water are becoming a current reason for yet another world war.

So far so bad, but, why is it an issue that your clothes or your car even though German, French or Italian are made in Taiwan and China?

The globalization of trade and the abolition of the trade barriers between countries may have resulted in the growth of the global economy but it has also caused so much harm to the people, the individuals, and the local communities. Large multibillion making corporations once employing people all over the developed world now have moved their facilities to parts of the world where labor is humiliatingly cheap and there is no such thing as workers rights. The working conditions are poor and the age group of the employees varies from 5 and 6 years old and up. Child labor is highly popular in those parts of the world, for example in Guatemala children shine shoes, make bricks, cut cane and mop floors, they sew, sort and chop often in conditions that violate even Guatemala’s loose labor laws.

In the way we allow these companies to work they enhance unfair competition between smaller and larger companies thus dominating the world economy and politics and at the same time benefiting from the misfortune of the disenfranchised. Even worse, the workers subject to this exploitation can’t react for they don’t have the education or the ability to demand more because of their great need.

To add to that, this unfair treatment and the huge gap that is still growing between the wealthy and the poor is the first event in a chain reaction that only ends with western world bursting into the flames of racism. I am talking about immigration, more specifically about the multiplying illegal aliens arriving everyday in all the developed countries!

“These people are getting our jobs”, “they rob our homes”, “they are criminals” are the most common accusations, but even if you are not a person to say or to believe all this it doesn’t mean either that you may not somehow be a racist yourself or that the problem is not growing!

It is hypocritical to say the least to suspect people of being criminals just because they are poor while being also responsible for that poverty.

It is unacceptable to judge people in terms of their nationality.

It is inhumane to blame violence on them solely or deal with them using violence.

Ladies and gentlemen, we ALL are guilty of being hypocrites, of thinking unacceptably and of behaving in an inhumane way! If you are thinking that this long list of accusations never ends, I am afraid that this is true. Sadly what is also true is that when we all go home tonight driving our CO2 emitting car we probably will have yet another long shower and this course of events more or less will repeat itself again and again.

The solution is not to walk to work, well if you can do so, or eat less or not take showers at all!

To be honest there is no magical solution otherwise it would have been put into effect.

However, if I may hope that tonight we all changed a bit for the better, we can all try to change a few things in our way of life.

We can recycle paper, plastic and glass; treat Hussein and Ivan with the respect they deserve and turn off the lights in the middle of the day and when we are not home. We can contribute with money, clothes and food to the work of international organizations such as UNICEF and AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL that help the less fortunate. Give a lift to the neighbor or to the colleague in the morning so one instead of two cars emit CO2. Take any given chance to put pressure upon our government and the governments of the world to take measures to prevent the ongoing inequality and to protect the environment. Change slowly the mentality so maybe when this generation graduating today there will be some change after all.

Thank you.