What is freedom? Well, let us begin to answer the question with another question: What is freedom's antithesis? Perhaps we will ask several, or even many, questions in defining freedom.
I believe the antithesis of freedom is bondage, given my Christian faith, and I believe history will support my hypothesis, as well. Bondage is a form of slavery. If one is bound, he/she is captive to someone or something, either by choice or by force. If one is bound by choice, they are exercising a freedom, I believe. But if one is bound by force, freedom is forcibly violated. So, there we have narrowed freedom's antithesis to a bondage: forcible bondage, or better yet, forced bondage, not that forced bondage is good. That is when oppression begins, when one forcibly binds another. And it is fact that oppression is not a good, but an evil.
Therefore, there are those who are enslaved, and those who are free. Freedom is the dominion of that which is free. Freedom comes at a price. One man's freedom comes at the cost of many a man's work. Jesus said to his disciples one time, "Others have done all of the hard work, and you are reaping the benefits."Therefore, let the freedman not oppress his neighbor, but rather lift him up as best he can, for virtue is its own reward. It is also said, "Let freedom ring!" Where can freedom be found. In one sense, in the record collection of a Jimi Hendrix fan, or that of an Aretha Franklin fan, two people who wonderfully and marvelously, whether while living, or in the case of Jimi Hendrix, both living and post-humously, have transcended that which bound their ancestors, that oppressive hypocrisy called slavery.
Freedom, according to Dictionary.com, is defined as:
–noun
1.
the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint: He won his freedom after a retrial.
2.
exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc.
3.
the power to determine action without restraint.
4.
political or national independence.
5.
personal liberty, as opposed to bondage or slavery: a slave who bought his freedom.
6.
exemption from the presence of anything specified (usually fol. by from): freedom from fear.
7.
the absence of or release from ties, obligations, etc.
8.
ease or facility of movement or action: to enjoy the freedom of living in the country.
9.
frankness of manner or speech.
10.
general exemption or immunity: freedom from taxation.
11.
the absence of ceremony or reserve.
12.
a liberty taken.
13.
a particular immunity or privilege enjoyed, as by a city or corporation: freedom to levy taxes.
14.
civil liberty, as opposed to subjection to an arbitrary or despotic government.
15.
the right to enjoy all the privileges or special rights of citizenship, membership, etc., in a community or the like.
16.
the right to frequent, enjoy, or use at will: to have the freedom of a friend's library.
17.
Philosophy. the power to exercise choice and make decisions without constraint from within or without; autonomy; self-determination. Compare necessity (def. 7).
Origin:
bef. 900; ME fredom, OE frēodōm. See free, -dom
Freedom is well defined in every instance here, and some of what was defined at Dictionary.com I already covered in my thesis, not to assert myself, but rather to show that freedom speaks for freedom's own self. Each word carries a luminescence, and freedom is no different. But to properly interpret freedom, one, like a musician practices his art and so develops a measure of personal grace and freedom, one must practice the fundamental tenets of freedom according to accepted meaning of the very word, 'freedom.' And as the old adage goes, "Practice make perfect."
Jesus said, "The truth will make you free. Everyone who sins is a slave to sin, but if the Son sets you free, you will be truly free indeed." Therefore, in order to be truly free, if I am understanding Jesus correctly, truth is the prerequisite to freedom. Therefore, we must gird our loins with truth, and fasten our hearts to the cause of freedom in order to be truly free.
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