Freedom

We all want it. We all demand it. But do we actually think about what freedom is?

Dictionary.com defines "freedom" as "exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc." I would suspect that this is the first thing that comes to mind when we think of "freedom." "No limits." We think that freedom means that no one tells us what to do, that there is no influences, that no one will regulate what we do. Well, we don't actually think that; we feel that. We don't think it because the minute I put it down here for you to read, you can see right away that this doesn't actually exist anywhere in the world. We have laws, rules, governments. We are told by our parents, by our employers, by our governments what to do. We have varying degrees of "no limits", but never actually no limits.

The question, though, is would we really want freedom in the sense of "no limits"? You see, in some senses "limits" means a greater freedom than "no limits." Think about it. If there were no law against murder and people were free to kill whomever they want whenever they want, how free would you feel walking down the street? Most sane people would do their best to limit their exposure to the outside world just to safeguard their lives. That's not free. How about an architect? If you give an architect "free reign" where he can design a house without any sense of limits, what will you get? Will it stand up? Will it remain standing? If a designer actually designs without taking into account loads, weight, gravity, design constraints, and legalities, exactly how free will you be in that home? In fact, since it was designed without constraints, will it even suit your taste or needs?

You see, while we love freedom, absolute freedom is not something we can actually survive. It has a name. It's called "anarchy." This kind of freedom isn't really freedom. Human beings need limitations just as children need limitations. You need to prevent a child from running into the street because they likely won't survive that kind of freedom.

We often think that we want life without limits. Life without limits is like a human being without a skeleton. Sounds simple enough, but without a skeleton we would lack the ability to stand upright, chew, or move at all. We need the structure of a skeleton on which to attach muscles and tendons. We pull against those structures to cause other parts to move. We use that structure which is by definition a limitation to give us the greatest freedom of movement and living. Humans need structures.

Some parents will tell you that they don't want to put any limitations on their children. I would argue that this is a cruel thing to do to a child. They need direction. They need limits. Their limits give them structures upon which they can climb and against which they can push. While children without limits may go places no one thought of, they are also too diffused. Without limits there is no focus, no direction, nothing upon which to stand. Children with limits are allowed to accelerate in directions that are valuable without wasting time in directions that are pointless at best and harmful at worst. And people, child and adult, will find that, while anarchy is not good, directed freedom can be very liberating. That's a freedom worth defending.