Freedom

What exactly is freedom? Everyone seems to have a different idea of what it is.  Some people think it is being able to do whatever you want, whenever you want.  "I do what I want!"  It's the ability to have protection over your own property.  It's the right to say what you think and feel without being arrested for it. It's the safety of practicing whatever religion you want to.  The list goes on.  Today I had a thought though, when a friend of mine was sued for something he is innocent of.  The story was greatly exaggerated in order to make it sound like a problem in the first place.  This is the second time these people have sued him for the same thing.  He is a college student who is working and going to school.  He is not made of money.  He is getting married later this month though, and faces a $10,000 charge for something he is not guilty of.  But hey!  The guy who is suing him has every right to sue my friend, yes?  Who cares that he is a chiropractor with plenty of income.  He has the freedom to sue an innocent college student for the cost of living probably for over a year.

And this is what got me thinking about what really gives someone freedom, and that is responsibility.  If people would simply take blame when they were in the wrong and deal with problems accordingly, they would truly be free.  Sure, we have rights surrounding our property, but we often hear about vandalizing or destruction of each others property.  We sure as heck are allowed to say what we are thinking and feeling without being arrested, but people are attacked for expressing themselves.  We can practice the religion of our choice, but people persecute each other for having different beliefs.  Is that true freedom?  I don't think so.  People need to be responsible.  They have to think more about the consequences of their actions.  They have to realize that freedoms are a privilege, not something everyone is entitled to.  If everyone in the world simply took responsibility, there would be so many less problems in it.