Beyond the Stars and Stripes.

What does freedom mean to you? What does living in freedom truly entail? For us Americans, it is a right protected by our U.S. Constitution; it is a principle near and dear to our hearts; it is something that has been fought for us, and something we are continually fighting to secure. But, for many whose eyes are fixed on “the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave,” it embodies more of a privilege than a right. So, what does freedom mean for those who get to call it a right rather than a distant ideal? According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word freedom finds its roots in the Old English language. Freedom denotes the “power of self-determination, state of free will; emancipation from slavery, deliverance”.[1] In the 1570s it denoted “possession of particular privileges.” So, what are these privileges? In his address to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1816, John C. Calhoun gave his own meaning to the word freedom, when he affirmed: “It has been said by some physicians, that life is a forced state. The same may be said of freedom. It requires efforts, it presupposes mental and moral qualities of a higher order to be generally diffused in the society where it exists”.[2]In order to better understand freedom, it will be helpful to examine another derivative of the word, namely the ancient Greek word, “eleutheria” and its influence in ancient and modern philosophical works. In fact, the ancient Greek philosophers associated freedom with this “eleutheria”[3] which is used to personify freedom with the community and the collective. Some other ancient philosophers, though, understood freedom as the independence of the individual. Plato and Aristotle understood freedom as an interior freedom, reaching “plentitude in the freedom of spirit, which not only guarantees man’s independence in relation to the exterior world, but it also gives him the possibility to develop his real character. Freedom [then] has only one limit, but it is inviolable. It derives from the intrinsic laws of the sprit, which are able to provide truth as well as good”.[4] How have we evolved from equating freedom with the collective to the individual? Is it not the act of attributing freedom to the collective wellbeing of humanity that brings us global politics, international business, humanitarianism, and human rights? In the age of globalization, is not the idea of collectivity and global community an imminent one? Surely, then, by attributing freedom to the collective, to the global, the fight for the freedom of others becomes more pertinent.Now, Athenian democracy was not perfect, and it did not always advocate for the collective well-being of its citizens. In fact, it excluded the majority of its citizens from being free citizens, namely women, foreigners, and slaves. Athenian government was limited, rather than truly inclusive and equitable. But that leads us precisely to the point. Freedom is not, nor should it be, solely attributed to the political sphere. In fact, freedom becomes distorted when it is attributed to politics, to the rulers, or to the elite.The various meanings of the word “freedom” then begs the question, “Is freedom relative?” If it is interpreted in the individual sense, it does not do much good for those who do not have it. Alternatively, if it is interpreted in the collective sense, then those who possess freedom are so much more driven to act in such a way as to secure freedom for those who do not have it.So, what does freedom mean for those who have it in relation to those who do not? For those of us who possess the privilege of freedom, should we be so driven to act any differently? Should we be compelled to fight for the freedom of others around the world, as though the violation of their freedom is a violation of our own?For me, the answer is simple. I have been given a privilege that not many others get to have or even get to call a right of theirs. I have freedom. I can defend my freedom. I can rest in knowing that my freedom is being secured, not just by my own actions, but by the actions of others. Knowing that, my answer is simple; it is a responsibility to act. My freedom is relative to the freedom of others around the world. My freedom is jeopardized when a child is taken captive and forced into bonded labor or warfare, or when an individual is sold into human trafficking, or when a human being is silenced or made inferior because of their race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender, or sexual orientation. Enjoying our freedom goes beyond a feeling of mere gratitude; it extends to action, to fighting for the freedom of those who are strangers to the very word and its meaning in their lives.Nelson Mandela famously said, “For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” With the freedom we possess, let us not only cast off the chains of those enslaved around the world, but completely destroy each social, political, and economic chain so that the idea and the complete enjoyment of freedom is itself unleashed.[1] http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=freedom&searchmode=none[2] Ibid[3] Adrian Gorun “The Idea of Freedom and the Premises of Liberalism in Greek Thought”. European Research Studies 13 (2) (2010): 6[4] Adrian Gorun “The Idea of Freedom and the Premises of Liberalism in Greek Thought”. European Research Studies 13 (2) (2010): 14