Do we possess freedom?

Question

I realise this is a very broad question so make of it what you will!

hmm there are some good answers. but the thing that bothers me most is, am I free to do something that I wouldn't usually do? say I want to see a friend who lives in Alaska, am I going to suddenly jump on a plane to Australia. Because I KNOW I would NEVER do this and it bugs me so much......... perhaps this is how serial killers think... lol

Answer 1

How can you possess something that you cannot quantify?

Answer 2

Do we F*ck!! We can never be free while all we do all our lives is work to pay for things that we can't really afford! The only thing you can do is ensure you are happy! If you are happy then it doesn't matter if you are free or not! Make the best of the situation you find yourself in and that is as close as you will get!

Of course you are free in certain aspects. If you want to go to Alaska and decide to go to Australia instead then yes you are free to do that subject to you having the money, the time off work, etc. Also it wouldn't make much sense! But we are all trapped within certain guidelines! Laws are very important but you can't be truely free whilst there are laws in place to control the freedom. However, controling freedom is important as otherwise people will take advantage and take away other peoples freedom.

If you where free to murder people, that wouldn't be right and so you shouldn't be free to do it! However, that means at the same time you are never entirely free!

Answer 3

Freedom possesses us .


OK, I should be a little more helpful .
Freedom has many meanings ,but for me the most significant is psychological freedom, and i would describe that as a stepping back from the thoughts ,urges and reactions that we tend to identify with.
Whenever we can do this we have the freedom not to follow our habitual ways, and to act from a wider base.
Most people, especially in the west are addicted to the importance of their preferences and beliefs, whereas a little opening of the mind ,shows how limited these perspectives are.
With the will, and a good method one can learn to live more and more in a relatively freer space, where the study of one's life becomes a reward in itself.And on this path ,as the unseen becomes seen, it loses it's power to control from behind one's sense of self,as it were ,and things will change.
Then ,who knows ,one day ,you may just jump onto a flight to Australia, or that seed of frustration may have found it's true object, and have blossomed into a more intriguing journey ?

Answer 4

Freedom is an illusion.
No matter how many choices seem present to me in any given situation I can only choose one. I can never go back in time and choose something different. Since I can only ever make one decision and have to live with it how do I even know the other possibilities were real.

I believe freedom is a bunch of crap!

If you are talking about freedom as in the type America tries to sell. I am not free as an American either. I must follow the rules, that is not my definition of free.
Besides America seems to be pretty expensive for claiming it is free.

Answer 5

I think, I understand what you are saying. There is a very fine strand of thought in the 'additional details' section o f your question. This is true. If we think like this we do feel like this. Imagine, doe example, somewhere in the past very familiar to you. Now imagine something or someone that was significant to you at that timena place, and that no longer is very significant, in term of feelings for example, but you still think you can remember that something or someone when you like.

Now, how likely it was for that something to come to your mind naturally or automatically, and when will you remember that something naturally without any prompt or association provided cue. The fact is that we assume that we have access to all things in our memory, or to most things of our past lives, and we do. What we do not have is an open or random access. We cannot recall all things even when we like. Things come to our active conscious mind naturally in association with other things happening. For example, something has just happened may refreshen a distant memory, or upon seeing someone by chance we might suddenly think of distant relative. We are not 'unreasonably free' to think whatever we like to think. We can ask – what can we think of right now? Whatever we think must have a reason that we do not always understand, or realise.

Likewise, we are not free to do whatever and whenever we like to do. Certain things has to be done first as a build up towards doing other things as subsequent thoughtful actions. It is like travelling along a path where some things must come before reaching some other things further aong the way. We cannot jump on the path just about anywhere we choose. The intrigue is that all this is internalised at a sub-conscious level as involuntary mental process. Human mind is predominantly associative in its function. Even when we think laterally or creatively we need things and incentives to explore and clarify our intellectual dimensions or arousal of our emotions.

The most surprising and at the same time assuring thing is that the very function of our mind that waxes us if we think about it critically is our secrurity in this world of random happenings. This is not a matter that one should think is at work to restrain us. This is the quality of our mind that stops things from happening together or getting jumbled up in our conscious mind. This world exists in our mind as an integrated whole where all things are in a logical order and associted together to give us a distinct personal characteristic.What we find with the sharpness of our internal inspection a restraint is in fact our very safety and reason.

Answer 6

We posses freedom up to a point. Where that point is depends on the personality, the society in which he lives, and the physical realities of the situation.
So far, certain things are free.
Breathing is free, but if you live in a wealthier area, the quality of the air may be better.
Thought is free. However it has certain restrictions on it that come from our "programming", our upbringing and education in the widest sense of the word.
Looking is free. "A cat can look at a queen", but you can only see what is visible to you. I have never seen Tony Blair, Kim Bassinger or Osama Bin Laden, as they have never shown themselves to me. Nor have I seen the centre of the earth.
Rain is free, and sunshine etc but you cannot choose when you get them.
Many things are free in the sense you can get them without paying money, but there is some other cost, for example in effort.
There are many things restricting our freedom.
Some are inescapable, such as physical restrictions.
Some depend on social restrictions, they may be avoidable, but there may be repercussions. I would include laws in this category, as well as what is socially unacceptable.
Some are alterable, like some psychological restrictions. I would include moral restrictions in here.

Overall, in our society we are not very free, but we don't notice most of the restrictions, because we don't want to do many "forbidden" things. And we have plenty of choice like Chinese or Indian meals to eat, green or black Tshirt to wear, Rock or Rap music to listen to. This keeps most of us pretty busy and satisfied.

In less developed countries, where they may find themselves faced with more physical imperatives, ie search for food and water, they may have less choice, but probably just as much freedom.

Answer 7

Freedom is very relative to almost all conditions, age, wealth,
fame, race and even to the imprisoned. It is greater or lesser.
The poor may be free but not to the extent they may hope to be.
The rich may be free but cannot rid themselves of publicity.
Actors are rich but must live the life as fans expect of them.
Politicians are free but are bound to serve others, not themselves.
The married are free but are bound by marital vows.
The imprisoned are free within four walls and strict discipline.
The religious are free to the limits of their commandments.
And we could go on with more rights and obligations, around
in circles within your and other‘s minds, only to arrive at the
conclusion that you are only truly free once dead.

But, here again, who knows what after life is truly all about.
Now you can start reading this prose all over again, and I
think that you will arrive at the conclusion that "freedom" is
only a "moment" here and now, which should be lived to it‘s
utmost, for your own good and for the good of ALL others.
Please correct me if I am wrong - Iain Richie

Answer 8

no one can possess freedom.
all you can do is set up an environment where it might be likely to come calling, and even then it comes and goes as it please.
if you try to place any rules around freedom it dissolves before your eyes.

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we are imprisoned and restricted by desires. the less desires you have, the more freedom you can experience in just seeing what today brings.
it doesnt mean being aimless...it just means having no concern or worry for the way things turn out.
i think worry must be the mortal enemy of fredom.

Answer 9

We are free within the bounds of our nature. For instance we cannot fly unaided (jumping off a cliff and flapping your hands is what I'd term 'falling'). Even if we have not diluted our personal freedom to choose (say by becoming addicted to something) the exercize of our freedom is curtailed by society (civil law, custom, peer pressure, etc.). And then we restrict ourselves by the choices we make (point already made).

I think we are at our most free when we exercize most self-control. That is when we are not so attached to something or someone that we cannot leave it/them without considerable effort or suffering. At this point we are most free to choose without the undue influence of attachments.

But this state is maintained at a high cost. If I love someone for instance I may choose to be with them and even commit myself to them forever. This may make me very happy but my freedom is now restricted. And so on to a greater or lesser extent with all the decisions we make.

If you want to measure your freedom look at how easy or difficult it would be to let go of something or someone in your life.

You can head for Australia on a whim or do anything physically possible but then you have to deal with the consequences of your decision/action.

Absolute freedom is an illusion, but we are sufficiently free to do what we need to do unless we make ourselves otherwise.

Answer 10

I don't think we possess freedom or much of anything else, we're limited by time, physical & mental abilities. You will always be subject, dependant on something or someone. That's life, we need each other. Before you're conscious of anything, what care did you have in the world? There is a price on the very air you breathe.

Answer 11

Freedom can be lived not possessed.It is a way of life.Art of living, sometimes called love.It can be realised only by giving out of self the best we can in thoughts, feelings and deeds with no exaggeration (including not repeating mistakes) in any situation.It requests learning from personal experience and utmost persistence.