What image comes to mind when you hear the word "freedom"?
Is it this one?
Maybe this one?
The world often defines freedom in the negative: freedom from oppression, freedom from injustice, freedom from pain or discomfort, freedom from annoyance or inconvenience. These
freedoms are important. We rightly honor the valor of those men and women who
give of themselves (even to the point of giving their lives) to protect us from
all kinds of injustice.
Yet, there is another kind of freedom, a positive freedom.
It is the freedom for good. Without freedom
of will, any choice for good would be meaningless, because I would powerless to
choose otherwise. But with the power to choose comes a personal responsibility
for the choices I make.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “The more one
does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in
the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is an
abuse of freedom and leads to ‘the slavery of sin’” (paragraph 1744).
If the government establishes a law which outlaws something
dangerous or immoral, does that law then make me less free? No, because it does
not limit my ability to do what is good. Rather, it seeks to restrict my ability
to do what is bad in order to direct me to what is good.
Along the same vein, there are natural laws which govern the
world. When I seek to recognize these laws and work with them, I am free to
grow and develop as a person. Take, for instance, the law of gravity. I know
that on this planet, the force of gravity draws me downward. I could choose to
disregard that “restrictive” law as I spread my superhero cape and jump off a
building, but this is not freedom; it is stupidity. And I will not end up wiser;
I will end up dead. It is better for me to humbly admit that there is a force
greater than my cape.
Freedom from does
not trump freedom for. If I seek to
be liberated from something which will not at the same time increase my
capacity to choose what is truly good, or if I seek to be liberated from
something which at the same time separates me from what is truly good, then
my seeking is in vain. My decision will not make me more free, but will at best
give only an illusion of freedom while I slowly become more enslaved by my own
desires.
The world often cries out for less restriction. Don’t tell me what movies I should watch,
what words I should say, what kinds of articles I can publish, what kinds of
people I should love, what I should or shouldn’t do with my body…..I just want
to do whatever I want whenever I want with whomever I want. This is the cry
of an immature child who does not understand that some restrictions are put in
place as protection against harm. Sometimes what is bad for me is and/or should
be restricted to direct me to what is good. I have free will, yes, but I can
misuse it, just as can an unruly or ignorant child. But the more I learn what
is good and true, and seek to freely choose it, the freer I become.
Consider this:
"Love consists of a commitment which limits one's freedom—it is a giving of the self, and to give oneself means just that: to limit one's freedom on behalf of another. Limitation of one's freedom might seem to be something negative and unpleasant, but love makes it a positive, joyful and creative thing . . . The will aspires to the good, and freedom belongs to the will, hence freedom exists for the sake of love, because it is by the way of love that human beings share most fully in the good. This is what gives freedom its real entitlement to one of the highest places in the moral order, in the hierarchy of man's wholesome longings and desires. But man longs for love more than for freedom—freedom is the means and love is the end. He longs however for true love, for only if it is based on truth is a genuine commitment of freedom possible. The will is free, but at the same time it 'is obliged to' seek the good which is congenial to it . . . " - Karol Wojtyla, Love and Responsibility
Consider this:
"Love consists of a commitment which limits one's freedom—it is a giving of the self, and to give oneself means just that: to limit one's freedom on behalf of another. Limitation of one's freedom might seem to be something negative and unpleasant, but love makes it a positive, joyful and creative thing . . . The will aspires to the good, and freedom belongs to the will, hence freedom exists for the sake of love, because it is by the way of love that human beings share most fully in the good. This is what gives freedom its real entitlement to one of the highest places in the moral order, in the hierarchy of man's wholesome longings and desires. But man longs for love more than for freedom—freedom is the means and love is the end. He longs however for true love, for only if it is based on truth is a genuine commitment of freedom possible. The will is free, but at the same time it 'is obliged to' seek the good which is congenial to it . . . " - Karol Wojtyla, Love and Responsibility
So what is your image of freedom?
Could I suggest this one.....
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