2006-07-21 13:43:34 · 39 answers · asked by Baaad Dokhtar 3 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
your question begets more questions. are we free to wander the streets at night without fear. are we free to go to the airport without being searched. are we free to talk on the phone without the government listening in. are we free to decide what to put into our own bodies without the government to decide what is good or what is bad. are we free to obtain any good or service beyond our financial reach are we free of of fossil fuels. are we free of racial profiling the answer to all these questions and more will answer your question.
2006-07-21 14:03:17 · answer #1 · answered by chefj 2 · 5⤊ 3⤋
It is a relative terminology. You may be free physically but mentally you are bonded with something or some person. You may be free but still have a restricted life due to the dictates of the country you live like the women folks in Saudi Arabia who cannot drive a car due to Government restrictions. Free are the people who go beyond the mundane world and able to live a life of hermit or a Rishi. They are the ones who are really free.
2006-07-21 13:54:33 · answer #2 · answered by tnkumar1 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Freedom, in my mind, is inseperable from responsibility.
There is a kind of freedom that 'rock star' types drone on about where you can do what the hell you want but in reality a society that practised this kind of freedom would rapidly collapse into chaos.
There is a kind of freedom we can enjoy in a stable social context but it is inextricably compromised by responsibility to ourselves and those around us. The less a populace are prepared to engage in this kind of freedom, the more the state must compromise that freedom. I'm sure the state prefers - for reasons of its continuity - to impose strictures that compromise the freedom of its subjects (but that's another story).
I suppose If i'm forced to come down one way or another on that issue, I would have to answer no, we are not free. Not in the middle east, not in europe and not in america.
I would be interested to hear George Bush give a definition of the freedom he's so eager to speak of but I doubt his aides would let him.
I do think that freedom is possible and in some small measure has been achieved
2006-07-22 03:55:25 · answer #3 · answered by tuthutop 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I dont think we are free. Human beings live their lives chasing after an imaginary idea of happiness and/or heaven, this idea having been drilled into their brains by the society they were born into. Few peopel appreciate life for what it is, and most people either fight with life to get more material goods from it, or hide away from life, too afraid to fight for what they think they need. However there are some people who are truly enlightened, and who live life in the moment, appreciating every step of the way for what it is and not as means to an end. I think that this is what freedom comes down to - the ability to free yourself from desires and dreams and simply appreciate what you have at the moment. After all, fear feeds on human desire, and it is because of fear and desire that human beings are not free.
2006-07-21 13:57:18 · answer #4 · answered by inDmood 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Free in America - Yes. In other Countries - No.
2006-07-21 13:47:05 · answer #5 · answered by K R 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
freedom is relative, and some of us feel freer than others. it can depend on the laws of the land u live in and the tenets of our individual religions/backgrounds/families/friends/peers. it can depend on bylaws, tenancy agreements, protection rackets and dress codes. it can depend on how obese you are.
i dont think i am free completely otherwise i would be able to chat up any woman i want without fear of being slapped/beaten up because i am a woman too. however, i still have the freedom to express this gripe, which means i am freer than my contemporaries in more strict societies than britain.
i wish i could win the lottery so i could move to brighton lol.
what i do know is that every little bit of freedom i have has been hard fought for by people before me so i should exercise that freedom as best i can.
2006-07-21 14:26:32 · answer #6 · answered by swot 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you mean, do we have free will? Yes, we have free will. Our freedom ends where the next person's rights begin. Our creator knows what our choices will be, but still allows us to make them.
2006-07-21 13:50:25 · answer #7 · answered by mia2kl2002 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, free or freedom whatever you want to put it as, today comes into many forms such freedom of democracy. Basic natural freedom is when there are no rules and no to tell you what to do or what to say or how fast to drive. SO there you have we say we are free but we really are not cuse you are occupied.
2006-07-21 14:04:44 · answer #8 · answered by Slick Man's Finest 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We are not free, and we will never be free - doesnt matter what the "free world" says
2006-07-21 13:54:54 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
depends on how much you know. the more you know, the more freedom you get. think about it, we lock animals up in cages or seriously look after our pets because they don't know much about the human world. the most wild animals damage things and hurt humans. that's why we lock them up. the reason you may not be free is because you cant survive on your own or you are a threat to the better things in life.
by you i don't mean you, i mean humans that are not free.
2006-07-21 15:56:37 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes we all are free.We experience bondage because we neglect the very idea that we are free.freedom is a state of mind,and to be free you just have to beleive that you are.This explanation needs some more space and time.you can mail me,i'll prove you we all are free.
2006-07-22 00:41:07 · answer #11 · answered by bhgat9 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋