FREEDOM ... it ’ s all in the interpretation
Freedom ! What a wonderful word . What does it mean to you ? I can picture a Prince and Princess riding off into the Sunset to live happily ever after .
Free , freer , freest , the dictionary says is to be able to act at will , not compelled or restrained . Really ? Is that what we want ? Slaves want to be free of Masters , children want to be freed from parents , natives want to be freed from Colonialists , Workers want to be free of bosses . Does that always bring Freedom ? Not on your life mate ! I hear people say they would be free if only they hadn ’ t a wife , a husband , children , a boss , a demanding job , a mother-in-law . Dream on Pal you wouldn ’ t know what to do with Freedom ! Others will say they would be free if they had a big bank balance , health , an understanding wife / husband , no family ties . Good on yer mate sorry you are such a bogan ! Maybe we just need Freedom from ourselves ? We have free air , free thoughts , most of us have free sight and free hearing , free speech is a bit of a myth but we do have a free choice of attitude and use of whatever brain we have . Surely with the right attitude we can be free of most things . In first World countries we do have a lot of Freedom . Do people appreciate it ? OMG ! Just listen to the complaints ! The Politicians don ’ t know what they ’ re talking about and grab everyone ’ s money , they say and as for the ever present dog fights between the different parties who are so busy picking each other to pieces they haven ’ t time to concentrate on ruling the country . ( here , I agree ). People say the Police are too soft on the Criminals and too hard on the innocent ( who ’ s that )? And they are never in the right place at the right time . If they are over enthusiastic in repelling some drug-crazed adolescent they are fired if they are tolerant they are dead although of course they will be honoured for their bravery . The Health Department gets a lot of flak as usual . The poor , mostly dedicated staff of the hospitals , they complain don ’ t have time , patience , empathy , sympathy or anything else to deal with their delicate , empty heads , scrawny necks , floppy boobs , flabby stomachs , voluptuous bums and bulbous or claw-like feet ! The Doctors don ’ t know what they are talking about , they reckon , and bury their mistakes . Well haven ’ t they always but they try damn hard to save you first . We are all mostly a waste of Oxygen anyway and past masters at blaming everything except ourselves . How about us taking charge of our own lives
and not always having to have someone to blame for all our mostly self-imposed misery !
Let ’ s get back on track . Children are not free to decide whether they go to school or not . They need schooling to lead worthwhile lives . They are not free to choose their own parents luckily , or they would ALL be impossible instead of just half of them !
What do you think would give you freedom ? To have everything you want and to be able to do whatever you please , I can hear you saying . Well I think not , that ’ s not Freedom , that is greed and you would never be satisfied . To be permanently on holiday , same thing and you ’ d get bored . To have a thousand virgins at your disposal ! No not even that ! You might die happy but that ’ s not Freedom . And Girls your fifty shades of Grey choice ! Seems a pretty exhausting and dicey way of trying to gain anything let alone freedom .
I think everyone needs constraint and control to gain Freedom . Nelson Mandela comes to mind as an example . He would never have been such a great man without his loss of Freedom . He wrote A Long Road to Freedom which illustrates Freedom does not come easily I actually haven ’ t read the whole book but I often read Invictus the poem he loved . Which ends : I am the Master of my fate ; I am the captain of my Soul .
If you can realise that the grass is not greener on the other side of the fence , that money doesn ’ t give you freedom , power is dangerous and that many of the things you want are not what you need . Open the doors to your heart and push out greed and envy , jealousy and self-indulgence and most importantly fear and let in love and respect , appreciation and acceptance , confidence and tranquillity , and that , surely my friend , will give you Freedom .
Di Kalamunda Group , WA
What light is to the eyes - what air is to the lungs - what love is to the heart , liberty is to the soul of man . 27