Freedom In an Unfree World

Most any person you ask will agree that it’s better to be free than not.

After all, freedom has long been thought of as a good and desirable thing. 

We honor it in songs, poems and stories and celebrate it with public holidays and festivals.

Isn’t it a bit strange that throughout human history, authentic freedom has been such a rare thing?

Even those individuals and societies that have enjoyed it have found that it will not stay if they become unfit to possess it.

It is human nature to take valuable things for granted when we have not had to work for them.

This is true with freedom too.

One reason for this is that relatively few people understand the principles and practices upon which it is contingent.

Another reason is that freedom faces relentless opposition from those who see it as scary and unnatural.

These are the people who feel a compulsion to control others through coercion, threats and commands.

Finding freedom in a world run by those who wish to rule us starts with recognizing that we each have an individual choice to make as to whether we wish to be free.

This means finding the courage to make our own decisions and to act upon them without waiting for permission. 

Finding freedom in an unfree world requires being more than a cheerleader.

It takes a willingness to learn and live the principles and practices on which freedom is based.

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