The Illusion of Freedom

The first word or rather the first place that people have on the top of their mind when you ask them to imagine freedom would be:

The United States of America.

U.S.A.

United States

The Red, White, and Blue.

The West.

The Land of the Free...

So on and so forth.

A proud symbol, a just symbol, a symbol for all that is right.

A symbol for order, for justice, for opportunities that many people in their countries wished they had.

A place where mothers and fathers and young adults dream of living, to provide a better future for themselves and their loved ones, especially for their loved ones. A country where you can speak your mind and talk about the injustices of the world without fear.

A country that is considered the backbone of democracy and the powerful ally that sends its soldiers into battle to free others from oppression and rewards all of those beautiful soldiers who do so.

From soldier to citizen, within each of our waking moments, we feel blessed to be living in such a great country and live each moment content.

Well, that's what freedom should be like anyways. The thing is, even in America, freedom is extremely hard to get. Freedom is something you fight for and once you become complacent and lazy, well, you might find that freedom that you took for granted, just swept out from underneath your feet and snatched out of your very hands while you're just left with a dumbfounded and incredulous look.

Freedom has not been easy.

Freedom has never been easy.

Freedom makes up the very fiber of our being and whether each one of us is conscious of this fact or not, is another matter. We are born free, free into the world, free to change the world, free to make mistakes, hundreds of them to over a hundred thousand of them over our lifetimes.

In America, we have the freedom of choice, or maybe come to think of it, it really isn't a choice at all to choose. It could also be seen as a limitation as there are too many ways to do something wrong and only a small, limited selection of right choices that would set one upon the right path of creating a future, a bright future for themselves and everyone around them.

There is also a saying that goes like this, "Freedom can't be bought."

While this isn't entirely true, it is quite cute in its sentiment and the intentions behind this statement I assume are quite good. However, lately, I have noticed that America is changing into more of a capitalistic society rather than a democratic or free one, and as more time progresses, the origin of those basic values that this great nation was founded upon, seem to be quite muddled. It is like treading through muddied waters, trying to find a gold locket that has sunk to the bottom of the creek, getting tangled within the reeds and eluding your fingertips ever so slightly and getting farther and farther.

Freedom can indeed be bought, you can buy others' freedom and you can also buy your own freedom but when you have no money, essentially you have no freedom. That is what I have learned from our current society and from changing and growing into an adult. The goal of freedom is to have people be more free of worries and limitations than they had before. Essentially the biggest limitations are the ones you put on yourself. "I can't do this. I won't do this. I don't understand this." We put these shackles and limitations upon ourselves because we are afraid, we are scared, and we have fear rooted deep within us. Once we tackle these questions and explore deep within ourselves, can we finally and truly blossom into the being we were meant to be.

It is always difficult near the bottom when you can't even focus on freedom, you just think about how to survive day in and day out. However, you also realize that freedom is the ultimate goal and so you will do whatever it takes to achieve it. If there isn't justice in situation you are in, become the justice and change you want to see in the world. Be just. Be kind. Be.

Be free.