Osprey, a photo by G. Norsworthy on Flickr.
Freedom's
just another word for nothin' left to lose
And nothin'
ain't worth nothin' honey but it's free.
-Kris Kristofferson, Me and
Bobby McGee
Freedom is a loaded idea. It’s
about so many things. And defined by the dictionary it is the power to determine action without restraint.
Think on that: the power to determine action without
restraint.
It’s a form of chaos.
If we had lived our lives
completely free to do whatever we wanted, humanity would have accomplished
nothing. We would have never built the many architectural wonders of the world
or landed on the moon. We would have never done a heart transplant, talked on
the telephone, or even discovered North America.
The most spectacular and
important things in our lives are the ones we work to build. And to build, we
have to understand how to determine our actions with restraint and to respect frameworks. We have to be able to
understand that what truly makes us happy is having the power and the bravery
and the personal strength to be able to commit ourselves to walking the line - respecting
boundaries, understanding each other, building structures that strengthen our
relationships.
Interestingly, I heard someone
recently say that they would post or make comments on Facebook regardless if it
hurt someone. Their rationale was: “it’s a free country.”
Is that freedom?
Should your neighbours have the
freedom to come on your property whenever they want? Should your boss be free
not to pay you this week? Should the person you love feel they can betray you
with someone else because it is their freedom? Should someone have the right to
hurt you because it’s a “free country”? Where does that freedom find limits?
Well I guess we’re all free to make our choices in life, but
that freedom comes with a price. And
there are always consequences to determining
your actions without restraint.
For me, I’m with Kris – I think
freedom’s just another word. And maybe some people have nothing left to lose.
But I’m not one of them.
~ Aidan M.D. Ware
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But if you are "free" this weekend check out Fourth Fridays tomorrow night (downtown), Doors Open Guelph on Saturday, the Jazz Festival Art Auction on Sunday!!
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