Using freedom to mask our selfishness.

Westworld the show that I am maybe slightly obsessed with right now is talking about free will and the cost of free will. It has sparked my exploration on this wayside concept of freedom. Freedom has and will always be something we as humans try to preserve and in some measure try to guard with everything we have. Now I have noticed that we use “freedom” as a broad umbrella term to capture our views on a particular topic and also to enforce why we are entitled to our view or the right to our action. What we often fail to establish is the need behind that view or the call for this action which has lead us to believe why FREEDOM is our inalienable right.

I understand that the above paragraph might not be as great of an introduction to this topic but allow me to explain here. We often use freedom or specifically “OUR FREEDOM” as a generous canopy to justify our capability to do what we want, to say what we want or even to think what we want. What we often overlook is that by justifying this to ourselves we are yielding to our immediate pleasures with the conviction that this is something that is better for us and in some cases for others around us. We yield to our way or our actions as an easy option instead of wrestling with the harder or more difficult action. There are I think 3 ways to identify where this so called freedom can be unmasked for what it truly is and they get progressively harder to identify as it involves a certain degree of introspection. I will try my best to be as objective as possible in my explanation.

1. Instant gratification.
   One of the easy indicators to identify that our so called freedom could actually be a selfish endeavors is the immediate need for gratification. We can act a certain way to make ourselves feel good. Given this involuntary monasticism that we are all in, one might find themselves craving for the simple pleasures of life. Could just be watching your favorite show for just a bit longer. I would have to say there is nothing inherently wrong about spending your time watching your favorite show but you would have to call it for what it is. It is your pursuit towards something that brings happiness. Now this by itself is nothing to be worries about but when in context with the needs of others you could say that it is your right to enjoy the little things in life without adverse effect to others. Where this could be a problem is when you decide to venture outside to get your favorite meal. True you are not impacting anyone with your short adventure but when you are to impose a broad restriction over your actions one tends to feel that their freedom has been curtailed. Times like this would give us a good indicator to check what we do and why we do it and to examine the underlying reasons for why we associate that to our right or freedom.
2. Neglecting the feelings of others.
   Yes we live in a culture where it could feel like we are walking on eggshells or over a mine field that is bursting with mines. We can’t control how other feel and I think it is important to remind ourselves that we should not control how other feel, however it is important to have empathy. Now You can never fully understand how a person feels or share the feeling with them to the highest extent but you can get a good measure on what impacts your actions has on them. I see that we choose to reprimand or correct people because we know that we are right (nothing wrong in being right) but seldom do we try to help relate with them as to why they think or act a certain way. Here I feel that we choose the easy way out by pointing that their logic is flawed or that their actions are wrong. We seldom try to walk a mile in their shoes to understand where they are coming from and to explain to them why you think otherwise. There is also humility is understanding that you could be wrong but we don’t seem to stand on that opinion at all.
3. Choosing not to be selfless.
   There will be times when the right things to do is to forgo your right and put the rights of others before your own. This is a higher call maybe the highest and the stark opposite of selfishness. I find it fitting that scriptures talks of love in John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. I know giving up your rights in not an ideal platform for one’s freedom but it does highlight the priority of putting the needs of others before your own. Revolutions in history would have stalled or worse failed if some individuals had they chosen their comforts over the injustice done to others.

We often talk of freedom as a personal call to our own rights and liberties which is how it is defined but I feel it cheapens the value of what it truly stands for. I think it’s time to define freedom as a rallying cry against injustice, inequality and oppression.