What is Freedom?
In the final scene of the 1995 epic film Braveheart, William Wallace closes the saga affirming his commitment to a powerful cause when he elects to scream “freedom” instead of mercy. The emotional ending dramatizes how far people will go to achieve freedom and reminds me of historical examples of bravery and sacrifice in the name of independence.
World history is marked by wars fought by, or on behalf of, people who sought to free themselves from oppression from a ruling group; the American revolution is the easiest example for US citizens to reference. That war was fought out of a desire to disconnect from Britain and its oppressive governance. People were willing to fight, and die, to achieve independence and autonomy. From their victory, the greatest nation on earth was created and a standard for personal freedom was established.
Wars are also fought when freedom is threatened by an aggressor. Ukraine and its citizens have been fighting to survive and maintain their independence from Russia. Once you have tasted freedom, it is hard to go back. Ukrainians do not want to return to a soviet style existence. They have enjoyed the fruits of western capitalism, and they like it. Their intense defense of their country, once again, shows what people will do to protect what they have.
As much as I think I understand the history of freedom and the relentless pursuit to live free, I am equally perplexed at the current use of the word and how, today, it has been hijacked to define every possible cause; it feels overused. I have been attentive to this trend and trying to make sense of what is going on ever since I saw a T-shirt that said, “I believe in freedom as long as the other party doesn’t practice it.” Admittedly, it was a joke; but jokes are funnier when there is a truth inherent in the story. And sadly, there is a lot of truth in the sentiment expressed on the front of that T-shirt. More people then should, share the belief that freedom and its practice should only be available to those who share their world view.
I wonder what has led to the growing phenomenon, the overutilization of the word and diminishment of its true meaning. Is it possible that since our country hasn’t faced an external threat to our freedom in more than eighty years, we have forgotten what a real fight for freedom looks like. When Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, and Germany declared war on us, there was no doubt what the threat was and what we were willing to do to survive. The country responded with, by today’s standards, extreme measures. People covered their windows to prevent light emanating from their homes, the country rationed sugar, gas, tires, meat, coffee, butter, canned goods, and shoes. Citizens changed jobs to work for the war effort and young men prepared to fight and die to save our country and the world.
Today, the most basic tasks people are asked to do are often categorized as an afront to their personal freedom. Remember when large groups of people refused to wear a mask during the Covid outbreak? I don’t know the impact of wearing a mask on reducing the spread of the virus, and that’s not the point. The point is it was a simple step to try to do something for the greater good. It was not a threat to our independence.
It would be easy to point to one group and compartmentalize this by political leaning; I don’t think that is helpful or accurate. Both sides are guilty of confusing an issue of ideology into a fight for freedom.
Which brings me back to the T-shirt. Have you noticed how every ideological fight is positioned as a fight for freedom and the saving of America and its purpose for existence? Abortion, gun rights, legalized marijuana, vaccines, who can use which bathroom, what we teach our kids in school, which pronoun we use to greet people, religion, social media, the environment, etc., etc. It is exhausting. I am not saying these issues shouldn’t be debated and a solution sought based on what is best for the country, I am suggesting that these topics don’t seem to rise to the level of a fight for freedom from autocratic oppression equivalent to what our men and women have fought for. In my view, these topics are rights or choices that citizens have, or they don’t have. Whether you agree or not, we still have a system for determining how to arbitrate disputes. Yes, it is broken, but it is still the best system in the world. I am not dismissing the importance of these rights nor the passion they engender; I would just like to see more context given. I believe we live in the greatest country in the world. A country that is respected worldwide for our willingness to fight and defend freedom for all people. We are based on a foundation of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and that promise still rings true as our greatest accomplishment.
Maybe it’s time people stopped believing that the only way they can define freedom and patriotism is to prevent those who don’t agree with them from living their life as they choose. The intensity with which we now fight over rights and beliefs that aren’t an existential threat to our existence is mindboggling and sad. It harkens back to my earlier thought. Is it possible since we haven’t had an enemy who threatens our very existence; we have turned other Americans, who we don’t agree with, into an enemy we must defeat, and we label the fight as a fight for freedom to justify our intensity?
I don’t know what the answer is, but I know every disagreement can’t feel like a death match. We are faced with a pending election where both sides say the US will be done and gone if the other guy wins. Once again, to hear them tell it, we are voting for our existence. It is an important election and there are stark differences between the competing octogenarians. However, the absolute survival of our country shouldn’t be at stake. We are stronger than that. Maybe we need to coalesce around a common enemy that isn’t each other. Maybe we can remember what the fight for real freedom looks like.
Maybe we can stop taking someone who is different from us and thinks differently, as a personal affront to our being. The scale at which we elevate our personal feelings must stop. If we spend our time fighting for what we now call a measure of our freedom, our real enemies will take advantage of us and reintroduce us to what a real fight for freedom looks like.
