gift of freedom essay

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Why the “freedom writers essay” is an inspiring tale of hope, empathy, and overcoming adversity.

Education has always been a paramount aspect of society, shaping individuals’ intellect and character. Within the vast realms of academia, written expressions have played a pivotal role in documenting and disseminating knowledge. Among these, the essays by Freedom Writers stand out as a testament to the importance of personal narratives and the transformative power they hold.

By delving into the multifaceted dimensions of human experiences, the essays penned by Freedom Writers captivate readers with their raw authenticity and emotional depth. These narratives showcase the indomitable spirit of individuals who have triumphed over adversity, providing invaluable insights into the human condition. Through their stories, we gain a profound understanding of the challenges faced by marginalized communities, shedding light on the systemic issues deeply ingrained in our society.

What makes the essays by Freedom Writers particularly significant is their ability to ignite a spark of empathy within readers. The vivid descriptions and heartfelt accounts shared in these personal narratives serve as a bridge, connecting individuals from diverse backgrounds and fostering a sense of understanding. As readers immerse themselves in these stories, they develop a heightened awareness of the struggles faced by others, ultimately cultivating a more inclusive and compassionate society.

The Inspiring Story of the Freedom Writers Essay

The Freedom Writers Essay tells a powerful and inspiring story of a group of students who were able to overcome adversity and find their own voices through the power of writing. This essay not only impacted the education system, but also touched the hearts of many individuals around the world.

Set in the early 1990s, the Freedom Writers Essay highlights the journey of a young teacher named Erin Gruwell and her diverse group of students in Long Beach, California. Faced with a challenging and often hostile environment, Gruwell used literature and writing as a platform to engage her students and help them express their own experiences and emotions.

Through the use of journals, the students were able to share their personal stories, struggles, and dreams. This essay not only became a therapeutic outlet for the students, but it also allowed them to see the power of their own voices. It gave them a sense of empowerment and hope that they could break free from the cycle of violence and poverty that surrounded them.

As their stories were shared through the Freedom Writers Essay, the impact reached far beyond the walls of their classroom. Their words resonated with people from all walks of life, who were able to see the universal themes of resilience, empathy, and the importance of education. The essay sparked a movement of hope and change, inspiring individuals and communities to work together towards a more inclusive and equitable education system.

The Freedom Writers Essay is a testament to the transformative power of education and the incredible potential of young minds. It serves as a reminder that everyone has a story to tell and that through the written word, we can create understanding, bridge divides, and inspire change.

In conclusion, the Freedom Writers Essay is not just a piece of writing, but a catalyst for change. It showcases the remarkable journey of a group of students who found solace and strength in their own stories. It reminds us of the importance of empowering young minds and providing them with the tools necessary to overcome obstacles and make a difference in the world.

Understanding the background and significance of the Freedom Writers essay

The Freedom Writers essay holds a notable history and plays a significant role in the field of education. This piece of writing carries a background rich with hardships, triumphs, and the power of individual expression.

Originating from the diary entries of a group of high school students known as the Freedom Writers, the essay documents their personal experiences, struggles, and remarkable growth. These students were part of a racially diverse and economically disadvantaged community, facing social issues including gang violence, racism, and poverty.

Despite the challenging circumstances, the Freedom Writers found solace and empowerment through writing. Their teacher, Erin Gruwell, recognized the potential of their stories and encouraged them to share their experiences through written form. She implemented a curriculum that encouraged self-expression, empathy, and critical thinking.

The significance of the Freedom Writers essay lies in its ability to shed light on the experiences of marginalized communities and bring attention to the importance of education as a means of empowerment. The essay serves as a powerful tool to inspire change, challenge social norms, and foster understanding among diverse populations.

By sharing their narratives, the students of the Freedom Writers not only found catharsis and personal growth, but also contributed to a larger discourse on the impact of education and the role of teachers in transforming lives. The essay serves as a reminder of the profound impact that storytelling and education can have on individuals and communities.

Learning from the Unique Teaching Methods in the Freedom Writers Essay

The Freedom Writers Essay presents a remarkable story of a teacher who uses unconventional teaching methods to make a positive impact on her students. By examining the strategies employed by the teacher in the essay, educators can learn valuable lessons that can enhance their own teaching practices. This section explores the unique teaching methods showcased in the Freedom Writers Essay and the potential benefits they can bring to the field of education.

Empowering student voice and promoting inclusivity: One of the key themes in the essay is the importance of giving students a platform to express their thoughts and experiences. The teacher in the Freedom Writers Essay encourages her students to share their stories through writing, empowering them to find their own voices and fostering a sense of inclusivity in the classroom. This approach teaches educators the significance of valuing and incorporating student perspectives, ultimately creating a more engaging and diverse learning environment.

Building relationships and trust: The teacher in the essay invests time and effort in building meaningful relationships with her students. Through personal connections, she is able to gain their trust and create a safe space for learning. This emphasis on building trust highlights the impact of positive teacher-student relationships on academic success. Educators can learn from this approach by understanding the importance of establishing a supportive and nurturing rapport with their students, which can enhance student engagement and motivation.

Using literature as a tool for empathy and understanding: The teacher in the Freedom Writers Essay introduces her students to literature that explores diverse perspectives and themes of resilience and social justice. By incorporating literature into her curriculum, she encourages her students to develop empathy and gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of others. This approach underscores the value of incorporating diverse and relevant texts into the classroom, enabling students to broaden their perspectives and foster critical thinking skills.

Fostering a sense of community and belonging: In the essay, the teacher creates a sense of community within her classroom by organizing activities that promote teamwork and collaboration. By fostering a supportive and inclusive learning environment, the teacher helps her students feel a sense of belonging and encourages them to support one another. This aspect of the teaching methods showcased in the Freedom Writers Essay reinforces the significance of collaborative learning and the sense of community in fostering academic growth and personal development.

Overall, the unique teaching methods presented in the Freedom Writers Essay serve as an inspiration for educators to think outside the box and explore innovative approaches to engage and empower their students. By incorporating elements such as student voice, building relationships, using literature for empathy, and fostering a sense of community, educators can create a transformative learning experience for their students, ultimately shaping them into critical thinkers and compassionate individuals.

Exploring the innovative approaches used by the Freedom Writers teacher

The Freedom Writers teacher employed a range of creative and groundbreaking methods to engage and educate their students, fostering a love for learning and empowering them to break the cycle of violence and poverty surrounding their lives. Through a combination of empathy, experiential learning, and personal storytelling, the teacher was able to connect with the students on a deep level and inspire them to overcome the obstacles they faced.

One of the innovative approaches utilized by the Freedom Writers teacher was the use of literature and writing as a means of communication and healing. By introducing the students to powerful works of literature that tackled relevant social issues, the teacher encouraged them to explore their own identities and experiences through writing. This not only facilitated self-expression but also fostered critical thinking and empathy, as the students were able to relate to the characters and themes in the literature.

The teacher also implemented a unique system of journal writing, where the students were given a safe and non-judgmental space to express their thoughts, emotions, and personal experiences. This practice not only helped the students develop their writing skills but also served as a therapeutic outlet, allowing them to process and reflect upon their own lives and the challenges they faced. By sharing and discussing their journal entries within the classroom, the students built a strong sense of community and support among themselves.

Another innovative strategy utilized by the Freedom Writers teacher was the integration of field trips and guest speakers into the curriculum. By exposing the students to different perspectives and experiences, the teacher broadened their horizons and challenged their preconceived notions. This experiential learning approach not only made the subjects more engaging and relatable but also encouraged the students to think critically and develop a greater understanding of the world around them.

In conclusion, the Freedom Writers teacher implemented a range of innovative and effective approaches to foster learning and personal growth among their students. Through the use of literature, writing, journaling, and experiential learning, the teacher created a supportive and empowering environment that allowed the students to overcome their adversities and become agents of change. These methods continue to inspire educators and highlight the importance of innovative teaching practices in creating a positive impact on students’ lives.

The Impact of the Freedom Writers Essay on Students’ Lives

The Freedom Writers Essay has had a profound impact on the lives of students who have been exposed to its powerful message. Through the personal stories and experiences shared in the essay, students are able to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and resilience that individuals can possess. The essay serves as a catalyst for personal growth, empathy, and a desire to make a positive difference in the world.

One of the key ways in which the Freedom Writers Essay impacts students’ lives is by breaking down barriers and promoting understanding. Through reading the essay, students are able to connect with the struggles and triumphs of individuals from diverse backgrounds. This fosters a sense of empathy and compassion, allowing students to see beyond their own experiences and appreciate the unique journeys of others.

In addition to promoting empathy, the Freedom Writers Essay also inspires students to take action. By showcasing the power of education and personal expression, the essay encourages students to use their voices to effect change in their communities. Students are empowered to stand up against injustice, advocate for those who are marginalized, and work towards creating a more inclusive and equitable society.

Furthermore, the essay serves as a reminder of the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity. Through the stories shared in the essay, students witness the determination and resilience of individuals who have overcome significant challenges. This inspires students to believe in their own ability to overcome obstacles and pursue their dreams, no matter the circumstances.

Overall, the impact of the Freedom Writers Essay on students’ lives is profound and far-reaching. It not only educates and enlightens, but also motivates and empowers. By exposing students to the power of storytelling and the potential for personal growth and social change, the essay equips them with the tools they need to become compassionate and engaged citizens of the world.

Examining the transformation experienced by the Freedom Writers students

The journey of the Freedom Writers students is a testament to the power of education and its transformative impact on young minds. Through their shared experiences, these students were able to overcome adversity, prejudice, and personal struggles to find their voices and take ownership of their education. This process of transformation not only shaped their individual lives but also had a ripple effect on their communities and the educational system as a whole.

The transformation experienced by the Freedom Writers students serves as a powerful reminder of the potential within every student, regardless of their background or circumstances. It highlights the importance of creating an inclusive and supportive educational environment that encourages self-expression, empathy, and a belief in one’s own abilities. By fostering a love for learning and empowering students to embrace their unique voices, education can become a catalyst for positive change, both within individuals and society as a whole.

Addressing Social Issues and Promoting Empathy through the Freedom Writers Essay

In today’s society, it is important to address social issues and promote empathy to create a more inclusive and harmonious world. One way to achieve this is through the powerful medium of the written word. The Freedom Writers Essay, a notable piece of literature, serves as a catalyst for addressing social issues and promoting empathy among students.

The Freedom Writers Essay showcases the experiences and struggles of students who have faced adversity, discrimination, and inequality. Through their personal narratives, these students shed light on the social issues that exist within our society, such as racism, poverty, and violence. By sharing their stories, they invite readers to step into their shoes and gain a deeper understanding of the challenges they face. This promotes empathy and encourages readers to take action to create a more equitable world.

Furthermore, the Freedom Writers Essay fosters a sense of community and unity among students. As they read and discuss the essay, students have the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations about social issues, sharing their own perspectives and experiences. This dialogue allows them to challenge their beliefs, develop critical thinking skills, and broaden their horizons. By creating a safe space for open and honest discussions, the Freedom Writers Essay creates an environment where students can learn from one another and grow together.

In addition, the essay prompts students to reflect on their own privileges and biases. Through self-reflection, students can gain a better understanding of their own place in society and the role they can play in creating positive change. This reflection process helps students develop empathy for others and encourages them to become active agents of social justice.

In conclusion, the Freedom Writers Essay serves as a powerful tool for addressing social issues and promoting empathy among students. By sharing personal narratives, fostering dialogue, and prompting self-reflection, this essay encourages students to confront societal challenges head-on and take meaningful action. Through the power of the written word, the essay helps create a more inclusive and empathetic society.

Analyzing how the essay tackles significant societal issues and promotes empathy

In this section, we will examine how the essay addresses crucial problems in society and encourages a sense of understanding. The essay serves as a platform to shed light on important social issues and foster empathy among its readers.

The essay delves into the depths of societal problems, exploring topics such as racial discrimination, stereotyping, and the achievement gap in education. It presents these issues in a thought-provoking manner, prompting readers to reflect on the harsh realities faced by marginalized communities. Through personal anecdotes and experiences, the essay unveils the profound impact of these problems on individuals and society as a whole.

Furthermore, the essay emphasizes the significance of cultural understanding and empathy. It highlights the power of perspective and the importance of recognizing and challenging one’s own biases. The author’s account of their own transformation and ability to connect with their students serves as an inspiring example, urging readers to step outside their comfort zones and embrace diversity.

By confronting and discussing these social issues head-on, the essay not only raises awareness but also calls for collective action. It encourages readers to become advocates for change and actively work towards creating a more inclusive and equitable society. The essay emphasizes the role of education in addressing these societal problems and the potential for growth and transformation it can bring.

In essence, the essay provides a platform to examine important societal problems and promotes empathy by humanizing the issues and encouraging readers to listen, understand, and work towards positive change.

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The Gift of Freedom

Related Papers

A Catholic Spirituality for Business: The Logic of Gift

Germán Scalzo

Peter Ashworth

Paul Michael Taylor

[Edited by Patricia Thatcher and Paul Michael Taylor with Cynthia Adams Hoover. Yale-Smithsonian Report on Material Culture, 1991.] The 1991 Yale-Smithsonian Seminar on Material Culture, held in Washington, D.C., April 28-30, examined gifts as objects of material culture. The meeting was held in conjunction with the Smithsonian exhibition at the National Museum of Natural History, "Beyond the Java Sea: Art of Indonesia's Outer Islands," an exhibition whose objects stimulated much discussion and new thinking about material culture. The seminar participants represented a broad range of disciplines and included historians, materials scientists, anthropologists and archaeologists, literary scholars, and art historians. As discussed in the introductory paper, many of Indonesia's finest artworks were created originally as gifts, as a kind of currency in systems of gift exchange. Consequently, the exhibition and its accompanying catalog (Taylor and Aragon 1991) examined indigenous concepts of reciprocity, as materially represented in gifts, for maintaining (or indeed manipulating) the social order in outer-island Indonesia. The next two days of stimulating papers, discussions, and meals were organized into three panels: • Wedding Gifts and Marital Alliances • Gifts in Economic Perspective • Power and Propitiation: Political and Religious Aspects of Gift Giving. As the Indonesian exhibition provided a point of comparison for the entire topic, so the panels began with one or more Indonesian case studies, each presented by an Indonesianist (anthropologists Hamilton, Aragon, and Pospisil and art historian Jessup). Consequently, each group of essays in this seminar report begins with an Indonesian case study, and then broadens the discussion to include examples from other parts of the world, as examined by scholars from American studies, history, art history, anthropology, literature, and other fields. Wedding Gifts and Marital Alliances The discussion of Wedding Gifts and Marital Alliances opens with Roy Hamilton's vivid account of a Lio marriage ceremony from Flores Island in the Lesser Sundas. Hamilton's account illustrates that, even where the rules of gift exchange at traditional weddings seem precise and ritualized, lively negotiations and individual manipulation of those same detailed rules do prevail "on the ground." Maria Montoya describes the multiple stages of, and exchanges that take place in, a folk Catholic ceremony (called Las Entriegas de Novios) that served to sanction marriage in Hispanic New Mexico. She presents this ceremony, which persists today in modern urban contexts, as a form of "cultural resistance" to outsiders. Candace Waid examines wedding-related gifts in Southern U.S. novels, such as those by Katherine Anne Porter, Carson McCullers, and Eudora Welty. Mary Jo Arnoldi describes a woman's exchange ceremony called woloma among the Bamana of Mali. Wedding goods are exchanged in the woloma, on the day of the wedding. Arnoldi's description of the woloma ceremony is a refreshing alternative to male-dominated discussions about "brideprice" exchange, since the woloma is organized by women, and women use the ceremony to exchange goods among themselves. Gifts in Economic Perspective Leopold Pospisil opens the second panel on Gifts in Economic Perspective with his essay on the role of gifts and gift-like transactions among the Kapauku of western New Guinea (now Indonesia's easternmost province, Irian Jaya). Pospisil shows that this exchange behavior is associated with both legal and moral expectations, but that the two must carefully be distinguished. George Miles's essay on "Real Gifts: Treaties, Grants, and Land Transfers in America" also considers various forms of property transfer in terms of the bundles of rights, duties, and even moral expectations being transferred, as, for example, in homestead grants and grants to railroads. He also examines exchanges taking place between peoples with entire but different systems of defining property rights, as, for example, when rights in land were transferred from American Indians to Euro-Americans who had very different concepts of what that transfer entailed. Although he focuses on gifts of much tinier scale, historian John Fleckner's discussion, "Greetings Cards and American Consumer Culture," provoked the most heated discussion. Fleckner traces the history of this relatively new and seemingly inconsequential form of material culture that is now ubiquitous. While some seminar participants compared this phenomenon to Indonesian textiles (some of which are also created only to be given away, or to say things that the wearer cannot say), others depicted the greeting card as a cheap token that subtly implies that the recipient deserves no better. The panel's concluding paper, "The Gift of Giving: Philanthropy in America" by Jean-Christophe Agnew, questions the pure philanthropy of even the most stupendous gifts. Agnew closely examines the antagonism within our culture between commodities and gifts, finding the two "incommensurable although not incompatible," since the intricate calculations accompanying private philanthropic gifts are of a different order from those accompanying commodity exchange. Power and Propitiation: Political and Religious Aspects of Gift Giving The final panel, Power and Propitiation: Political and Religious Aspects of Gift Giving, begins with two very different Indonesian case studies. Anthropologist Lorraine V. Aragon's paper on tributes and offerings in Central Sulawesi Island examines the manner in which that region's political and religious gifts to deities, highland aristocrats, and lowland kingdom rulers were used to construct political and social relationships. She emphasizes that nonmaterial valuables such as access to trade markets, religious blessing, or the status acquired in gift giving must be recognized as important in gift exchange. Art historian Helen Jessup's parallel essay on "Indonesian Court Arts" gives an overview of courtly traditions of gift exchange as they were used in defining hierarchy or equality among rulers or between rulers and subjects in Indonesian history. Turning to American history, Alan Fern's discussion of"Presidential Gifts in America" favorably compares the simple and deeply meaningful gifts of the earliest presidents to the "extraordinary escalation" of recent presidential gift giving. This trend recalls the escalating Cult of Magnificence in Indonesian courts, as described by Jessup. Unlike some Indonesian court societies, however, Americans have not yet come to believe that the expensive heirlooms acquired as our rulers take office are actually the source of our president's authority. Gretchen Townsend's essay, "Colonial Boston Church Silver: Gifts of Community, Commitment, and Continuity," provides the conference's parting thought, examining the colonial New England pattern of collecting money or leaving money upon one's death for the purchase of church silver. She leaves us with a well-developed example of a meaningful type of gift, prominent in colonial popular culture, which cannot easily be interpreted in terms of the implied reciprocity and exchange that dominate most thinking about gifts. The donor who bequeathed money for an inscribed silver vessel was, after all, already dead when the transfer took place. And each Puritan donor knew that his future status, as someone who would or would not eternally be saved, was already predetermined before he made the bequest. Drawing her evidence from contemporary writings and from her examination of the silver vessels, Townsend presents a moving account of the many meanings these objects of a lifetime conveyed.

Nitnam Padun

MAUSS International

Jacob Copeman

Journal of Business Research

Mary McGrath , John Sherry

The Economics of the Gift, in: Gift giving and the "embedded" economy in the ancient world, edited by Filippo Carlà and Maja Gori, Universitätsverlag Winter Heidelberg, 2014, pp. 83-99.

David Reinstein

This essay broadly considers gifts, giving, and gift economies, modern and pre-modern, from a mainstream (and behavioral) economics perspective. I present a selective survey of the literature focusing on six key points: 1. Commercial transactions sustained by reputation are not easily distinguishable from gift exchange economies; 2. Gift-giving allows the giver to accumulate goods that cannot be purchased commercially; 3. When the giver retains some use, experience, or control over the gift, she shares in the consumption of it; 4. Considering behavioural issues such as regret aversion, gift-giving may offer overlooked efficiencies that may balance out the deadweight losses from ‘inadequate gifts’; 5. Aggregate (anonymous) giving can be an important signal of overall group identity and character; 6. Historical modes of ‘giving under pressure’ offer insights for modern public policy and philanthropy.

Rosalind Eyben

Padraig Kirwan

The purpose of this article is to offer some new insights into the ‘gift vs. commodity’ debate. It examines the assumption that commodities and gifts represent two different realities, as first proposed by Marcel Mauss and later elaborated by Chriss Gregory and other anthropologists. It analyzes the conjecture that commodity-exchange is an exchange of alienable, impersonal and anonymous items, devoid of moral and social considerations or obligations, and therefore different from gift-exchange. A detailed analysis conducted along five basic dimensions that traditionally distinguish gift-exchange from commodity exchange reveals that contemporary marketing very often adds to commodity-exchange various elements that are traditionally attributed to gift-exchange only: market-exchange is not always impersonal, but can aim at creating certain types of social bonds and mutual obligations between exchange parties. The commodity, like the gift, can possess a quality of the giver, and manifest...

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Essays About Freedom: 5 Helpful Examples and 7 Prompts

Freedom seems simple at first; however, it is quite a nuanced topic at a closer glance. If you are writing essays about freedom, read our guide of essay examples and writing prompts.

In a world where we constantly hear about violence, oppression, and war, few things are more important than freedom. It is the ability to act, speak, or think what we want without being controlled or subjected. It can be considered the gateway to achieving our goals, as we can take the necessary steps. 

However, freedom is not always “doing whatever we want.” True freedom means to do what is righteous and reasonable, even if there is the option to do otherwise. Moreover, freedom must come with responsibility; this is why laws are in place to keep society orderly but not too micro-managed, to an extent.

5 Examples of Essays About Freedom

1. essay on “freedom” by pragati ghosh, 2. acceptance is freedom by edmund perry, 3. reflecting on the meaning of freedom by marquita herald.

• 4.  Authentic Freedom by Wilfred Carlson

5. What are freedom and liberty? by Yasmin Youssef

1. what is freedom, 2. freedom in the contemporary world, 3. is freedom “not free”, 4. moral and ethical issues concerning freedom, 5. freedom vs. security, 6. free speech and hate speech, 7. an experience of freedom.

“Freedom is non denial of our basic rights as humans. Some freedom is specific to the age group that we fall into. A child is free to be loved and cared by parents and other members of family and play around. So this nurturing may be the idea of freedom to a child. Living in a crime free society in safe surroundings may mean freedom to a bit grown up child.”

In her essay, Ghosh briefly describes what freedom means to her. It is the ability to live your life doing what you want. However, she writes that we must keep in mind the dignity and freedom of others. One cannot simply kill and steal from people in the name of freedom; it is not absolute. She also notes that different cultures and age groups have different notions of freedom. Freedom is a beautiful thing, but it must be exercised in moderation. 

“They demonstrate that true freedom is about being accepted, through the scenarios that Ambrose Flack has written for them to endure. In The Strangers That Came to Town, the Duvitches become truly free at the finale of the story. In our own lives, we must ask: what can we do to help others become truly free?”

Perry’s essay discusses freedom in the context of Ambrose Flack’s short story The Strangers That Came to Town : acceptance is the key to being free. When the immigrant Duvitch family moved into a new town, they were not accepted by the community and were deprived of the freedom to live without shame and ridicule. However, when some townspeople reach out, the Duvitches feel empowered and relieved and are no longer afraid to go out and be themselves. 

“Freedom is many things, but those issues that are often in the forefront of conversations these days include the freedom to choose, to be who you truly are, to express yourself and to live your life as you desire so long as you do not hurt or restrict the personal freedom of others. I’ve compiled a collection of powerful quotations on the meaning of freedom to share with you, and if there is a single unifying theme it is that we must remember at all times that, regardless of where you live, freedom is not carved in stone, nor does it come without a price.”

In her short essay, Herald contemplates on freedom and what it truly means. She embraces her freedom and uses it to live her life to the fullest and to teach those around her. She values freedom and closes her essay with a list of quotations on the meaning of freedom, all with something in common: freedom has a price. With our freedom, we must be responsible. You might also be interested in these essays about consumerism .

4.   Authentic Freedom by Wilfred Carlson

“Freedom demands of one, or rather obligates one to concern ourselves with the affairs of the world around us. If you look at the world around a human being, countries where freedom is lacking, the overall population is less concerned with their fellow man, then in a freer society. The same can be said of individuals, the more freedom a human being has, and the more responsible one acts to other, on the whole.”

Carlson writes about freedom from a more religious perspective, saying that it is a right given to us by God. However, authentic freedom is doing what is right and what will help others rather than simply doing what one wants. If freedom were exercised with “doing what we want” in mind, the world would be disorderly. True freedom requires us to care for others and work together to better society. 

“In my opinion, the concepts of freedom and liberty are what makes us moral human beings. They include individual capacities to think, reason, choose and value different situations. It also means taking individual responsibility for ourselves, our decisions and actions. It includes self-governance and self-determination in combination with critical thinking, respect, transparency and tolerance. We should let no stone unturned in the attempt to reach a state of full freedom and liberty, even if it seems unrealistic and utopic.”

Youssef’s essay describes the concepts of freedom and liberty and how they allow us to do what we want without harming others. She notes that respect for others does not always mean agreeing with them. We can disagree, but we should not use our freedom to infringe on that of the people around us. To her, freedom allows us to choose what is good, think critically, and innovate. 

7 Prompts for Essays About Freedom

Freedom is quite a broad topic and can mean different things to different people. For your essay, define freedom and explain what it means to you. For example, freedom could mean having the right to vote, the right to work, or the right to choose your path in life. Then, discuss how you exercise your freedom based on these definitions and views. 

The world as we know it is constantly changing, and so is the entire concept of freedom. Research the state of freedom in the world today and center your essay on the topic of modern freedom. For example, discuss freedom while still needing to work to pay bills and ask, “Can we truly be free when we cannot choose with the constraints of social norms?” You may compare your situation to the state of freedom in other countries and in the past if you wish. 

A common saying goes like this: “Freedom is not free.” Reflect on this quote and write your essay about what it means to you: how do you understand it? In addition, explain whether you believe it to be true or not, depending on your interpretation. 

Many contemporary issues exemplify both the pros and cons of freedom; for example, slavery shows the worst when freedom is taken away, while gun violence exposes the disadvantages of too much freedom. First, discuss one issue regarding freedom and briefly touch on its causes and effects. Then, be sure to explain how it relates to freedom. 

Some believe that more laws curtail the right to freedom and liberty. In contrast, others believe that freedom and regulation can coexist, saying that freedom must come with the responsibility to ensure a safe and orderly society. Take a stand on this issue and argue for your position, supporting your response with adequate details and credible sources. 

Many people, especially online, have used their freedom of speech to attack others based on race and gender, among other things. Many argue that hate speech is still free and should be protected, while others want it regulated. Is it infringing on freedom? You decide and be sure to support your answer adequately. Include a rebuttal of the opposing viewpoint for a more credible argumentative essay. 

For your essay, you can also reflect on a time you felt free. It could be your first time going out alone, moving into a new house, or even going to another country. How did it make you feel? Reflect on your feelings, particularly your sense of freedom, and explain them in detail. 

Check out our guide packed full of transition words for essays .If you are interested in learning more, check out our essay writing tips !

From the personal to the political, for the love of freedom

This superb short essay by Stanford professor Bill Damon is a hard-hitting piece from a gentle, thoughtful, and learned psychologist, and (as with Senator Alexander's contribution) was first published by Fordham in 2003 and then again in 2011 . Yes, he, too, is my friend and colleague, and I’ve admired his scholarly work for decades, especially his pioneering studies of the role of “purpose” in people’s lives. No captive of standardized test scores and basic skills, Bill has long explained why schools must attend to the “whole child” and thereby the whole society, especially in fostering the traits of character, morality, citizenship, patriotism, and love of liberty that make democracy possible. (For more on the schools’ role in building citizens, see his excellent book Failing Liberty .)

The present essay pulls no punches about the failure of “social studies” as conventionally taught to imbue young Americans with a clear appreciation of the freedoms that they and their fellow citizens enjoy and what is at stake in preserving them. We can and must do better going forward!

—Chester E. Finn, Jr.

For the most part, American schoolchildren are exceptionally astute when it comes to matters of personal relations. They know a lot about themselves, their families, and their friends. No doubt their fine social awareness is related to how they spend their spare time—for the most part, interacting with family and friends or consuming mass-media entertainment that focuses on the nuances of interpersonal situations (sitcoms, soaps, teen horror movies, rap songs, and so on). As active learners, contemporary children become extraordinarily sophisticated in small-scale human behavior far younger than previous, more sheltered, generations.

One thing that they learn very quickly is that they love “freedom.” For the most part, what American children mean by “freedom” is the license to do and say what they want. Because their world is bounded by themselves and their immediate social relationships, this amounts to the liberty to resist demands by others for conformity in thought and deed. Many young people in America will go to the mat for the right to make their own value judgments, to enjoy their own music, to dress as they like, to spend their time and money as they wish, and to choose their own friends. In general, our culture supports the sense of personal autonomy that young people cherish.

Unfortunately, today’s schoolchildren understand very little about the world beyond their own intimate circles of friends and family. Their ignorance most notably includes an almost complete lack of awareness about how rare their most prized possession, freedom, is in large parts of the world. Nor do they have much appreciation of what freedom means for a civic and political life that deals with matters more serious than recreational choices.

Indeed, young people in our country know practically nothing about national or global politics, and they care even less. By the end of the twentieth century, social scientists and educators were beginning to express concern about the troublesome know-nothingism that had spread among the ranks of American youth. In normal times, this would be a grave problem for the future of civic life in our democracy. But now we no longer live in normal times. We are now at war, a war that may endure well into the maturity of today’s students. It is our responsibility to prepare them for their engagement in it, and our schools need to participate in this charge. They must do a far better job of educating youngsters about the world beyond their own personal lives and pleasures.

Schools must help our children understand freedom on a national and global stage. As part of this understanding, students must learn why freedom always needs to be defended—to understand the wisdom behind the maxim that eternal vigilance is the price we pay for our liberties. And our children must come to understand this in contemporary terms: the price of freedom in the world today; who threatens it; and what should we do, as U.S. citizens, to preserve and advance freedom in the world?

How can our schools impart this essential understanding? To begin with, they must abandon the well-intentioned but intellectually corrosive species of moral relativism that now infests public-school curricula in the name of “multiculturalism.” Schools must start teaching the plain truth about the world—namely that all cultures are not equally benign with respect to their support of individual freedom. And our schools must teach what life is like in places that do not honor freedom.

Social studies—which now emphasize tolerance for non-Western cultures and criticism of our own—must give students a living sense of what the absence of freedom really means in some parts of the world. Teach them about how writers feel in societies where the reward for writing a critical statement about the government is a death sentence. Teach them about how women feel in cultures that intentionally keep them illiterate and disenfranchised, in cultures that force them to wear veils and other smothering clothes, punish them (rather than their attackers) when they are raped, and threaten them with harm as a means of extorting dowries from their families. Draw the contrast with societies where everyone gets to vote, protest, join unions, start businesses, worship or not as they wish, and (to bring the point home) even choose their own manner of dress and leisure pursuits.

Once students come to understand what is really at stake when freedom is won or lost, they must learn about the history of freedom, how it has grown in some places and slipped away in others, and why that happens. Teach them how American rights were forged through suffering at Valley Forge and Selma; how utopian Russian dreams vanished into tyranny; how a budding German democracy succumbed to terrorism and divisiveness in the Weimar years; how zealous, or corrupt, dictators in the Middle East have ruled their populations through fear, thuggery, and intimidation. History should be taught as a narrative of what has gone right and what has gone wrong along the road to liberty.

In teaching history, balance is key. My daughter’s high school U.S. history course relied on the highly critical People’s History of the United States as a primary text. It did not offer a balanced approach. It’s an acceptable part of the reading list, but it is too lopsided to be the main source of historical knowledge. I would place the terrible errors that this critical text highlights (e.g., the Tulsa race riots, the American Indian massacres) in context of the self-corrections that they spawned. And I would point out that it is a rare and precious freedom to allow teachers to talk with students about shortcomings of their own culture (compare, for example, with the education that students get in an Islamic madrasa ). Students also need to learn about historical horrors in countries that have destroyed freedom—such as the Nazi pogroms, the Soviet purges, and the Cambodian killing fields. A balanced history course will give students such compelling reasons to care enough about our free society that they will eagerly defend it when it is threatened and work to correct it when it does not live up to its own high ideals.

If schools would encourage students to care about our society, this would be a crucial first step in getting them to take responsibility for it as engaged citizens. It would be a big step, but there is one more that is needed: to take responsibility for human freedom wherever it is in peril. John Dunne’s Meditation XVII , with its famous line, “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main,” should be compulsory reading for American school children. In our increasingly global existence, our students need to know that, in order to protect our own freedoms, we must work to ensure the freedoms of others. We must resist people who despise freedom wherever they are, and we must discredit the warped ideologies that feed their hatred. Our schools can play a key role in this by teaching students how our constitutional rights have secured our freedoms for generations, and how America throughout her history has successfully fought the threats of enslaving ideologies.

William Damon is Professor of Education at Stanford University, Director of the Stanford Center on Adolescence, and Senior Fellow, by courtesy, at the Hoover Institution. He is one of the world's leading researchers on the development of purpose. He is the author of The Path to Purpose. Damon's other books include The Moral Child; Greater Expectations (winner of the Parent's Choice Book Award); Some Do Care: Lives of Moral…

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267 Freedom Essay Topics & Examples

Need freedom topics for an essay or research paper? Don’t know how to start writing your essay? The concept of freedom is very exciting and worth studying!

📃 Freedom Essay: How to Start Writing

📝 how to write a freedom essay: useful tips, 🏆 freedom essay examples & topic ideas, 🥇 most interesting freedom topics to write about, 🎓 simple topics about freedom, 📌 writing prompts on freedom, 🔎 good research topics about freedom, ❓ research questions about freedom.

The field of study includes personal freedom, freedom of the press, speech, expression, and much more. In this article, we’ve collected a list of great writing ideas and topics about freedom, as well as freedom essay examples and writing tips.

Freedom essays are common essay assignments that discuss acute topics of today’s global society. However, many students find it difficult to choose the right topic for their essay on freedom or do not know how to write the paper.

We have developed some useful tips for writing an excellent paper. But first, you need to choose a good essay topic. Below are some examples of freedom essay topics.

Freedom Essay Topics

• American (Indian, Taiwanese, Scottish) independence
• Freedom and homelessness essay
• The true value of freedom in modern society
• How slavery affects personal freedom
• The problem of human rights and freedoms
• American citizens’ rights and freedoms
• The benefits and disadvantages of unlimited freedom
• The changing definition of freedom

Once you have selected the issue you want to discuss (feel free to get inspiration from the ones we have suggested!), you can start working on your essay. Here are 10 useful tips for writing an outstanding paper:

• Remember that freedom essay titles should state the question you want to discuss clearly. Do not choose a vague and non-descriptive title for your paper.
• Work on the outline of your paper before writing it. Think of what sections you should include and what arguments you want to present. Remember that the essay should be well organized to keep the reader interested. For a short essay, you can include an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
• Do preliminary research. Ask your professor about the sources you can use (for example, course books, peer-reviewed articles, and governmental websites). Avoid using Wikipedia and other similar sources, as they often have unverified information.
• A freedom essay introduction is a significant part of your paper. It outlines the questions you want to discuss in the essay and helps the reader understand your work’s purpose. Remember to state the thesis of your essay at the end of this section.
• A paper on freedom allows you to be personal. It should not focus on the definition of this concept. Make your essay unique by including your perspective on the issue, discussing your experience, and finding examples from your life.
• At the same time, help your reader to understand what freedom is from the perspective of your essay. Include a clear explanation or a definition with examples.
• Check out freedom essay examples online to develop a structure for your paper, analyze the relevance of the topics you want to discuss and find possible freedom essay ideas. Avoid copying the works you will find online.
• Support your claims with evidence. For instance, you can cite the Bill of Rights or the United States Constitution. Make sure that the sources you use are reliable.
• To make your essay outstanding, make sure that you use correct grammar. Grammatical mistakes may make your paper look unprofessional or unreliable. Restructure a sentence if you think that it does not sound right. Check your paper several times before sending it to your professor.
• A short concluding paragraph is a must. Include the summary of all arguments presented in the paper and rephrase the main findings.

Do not forget to find a free sample in our collection and get the best ideas for your essay!

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• Jean-Paul Sartre’s Views on Freedom For example, to Sartre, a prisoner of war is free, existentially, but this freedom does not exist in the physical realm.
• Boredom and Freedom: Different Views and Links Boredom is a condition characterized by low levels of arousal as well as wandering attention and is normally a result of the regular performance of monotonous routines.
• Power and Freedom in America Although it is already a given that freedom just like the concept love is not easy to define and the quest to define it can be exhaustive but at the end of the day what […]
• The Efforts and Activities of the Paparazzi are Protected by the Freedom of the Press Clause of the Constitution The First Amendment of the American constitution protects the paparazzi individually as American citizens through the protection of their freedom of speech and expression and professionally through the freedom of the press clause.
• Art and Freedom. History and Relationship The implication of this term is that genus art is composed of two species, the fine arts, and the useful arts. This, according to Cavell, is the beauty of art.
• Determinism and Freedom in the movie ‘Donnie Darko’ The term determinism states, the all the processes in the world are determined beforehand, and only chosen may see or determine the future.
• The Freedom of Expression and the Freedom of Press It is evident that the evolution of standards that the court has adopted to evaluate the freedom of expression leaves a lot to be desired. The court has attempted to define the role of the […]
• Freedom is One of the Most Valuable Things to Man Political philosophers have many theories in response to this and it is necessary to analyze some of the main arguments and concepts to get a clearer idea of how to be more precise about the […]
• Mandela’s Leadership: Long Walk to Freedom The current paper analyses the effectiveness of leadership with reference to Nelson Mandela, the late former president of South Africa, as depicted in the movie, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.
• Freedom of Speech, Religion and Religious Tolerance As stipulated in Article 19 of the Universal Human Rights Declaration, the pastor has the right to share ideas and information of all kinds regardless of the periphery involved and in this case, he should […]
• Individual Freedom: Exclusionary Rule The exclusionary rule was first introduced by the US Supreme Court in 1914 in the case of Weeks v.the United States and was meant for the application in the federal courts only, but later it […]
• Philosophy of Freedom in “The Apology“ Socrates’ friends requested him to accept the charges, as they were willing to pay the expected fines, but he refused and insisted that he was ready to die for the sake of justice.
• Four Freedoms by President Roosevelt Throughout the discussion we shall elaborate the four freedoms in a broader way for better understating; we shall also describe the several measures that were put in place in order to ensure the four freedoms […]
• Nelson Mandela “Freedom in Africa” For example, the struggle for freedom in South Africa is one of the best examples of freedom in Africa so far.
• Chapters 4-6 of ”From Slavery to Freedom” by Franklin & Higginbotham At the same time, the portion of American-born slaves was on the increase and contributed to the multiracial nature of the population.
• 70’s Fashion as a Freedom of Choice However, with the end of the Vietnam War, the public and the media lost interest in the hippie style in the middle of the decade, and began to lean toward the mod subculture. The 70’s […]
• The Golden Age of Youth and Freedom However, it is interesting to compare it to the story which took place at the dawn of the cultural and sexual revolution in Chinese society.
• Political Freedom According to Machiavelli and Locke In this chapter, he explains that “It may be answered that one should wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person, is much safer to be feared than […]
• Media Freedom in Japan Moreover, the government works to ensure that the country upholds and respects the freedom. The use of journalist clubs denies foreign reporters the freedom to cover political and government news in Japan.
• Women and Freedom in “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin She is best known for her recurrent theme on the status of women in societal affairs, the challenges and problems facing them as well as repression and gender bias.”The story of an hour” is rhetorically […]
• Freedom of Expression in the Classroom The NEA Code of Ethics establishes a link between this Freedom and a teacher’s responsibilities by requiring instructors to encourage “independent activity in the pursuit of learning,” provide “access to diverse points of view,” and […]
• “Gladiator” by Ridley Scott: Freedom and Affection This desire to be free becomes the main motive of the film, as the plot follows Maximus, now enslaved, who tries to avenge his family and the emperor and regain his liberty.
• Leila Khaled: Freedom Fighter or Terrorist? This essay elaborates her intentions with the support of academic sources and her movie in order to demonstrate her cause of action as a freedom fighter for her country and not a terrorist as perceived.
• African Americans: A Journey Towards Freedom All of the slaves desired to have freedom, but the means of attaining that was still unknown. His intention was to kill all the slave owners in Charleston and free the slaves.
• Rousseau and Kant on their respective accounts of freedom and right The difference in the approaches assumed by Kant and Rousseau regarding the norms of liberty and moral autonomy determine the perspective of their theories of justice.
• Freedom from Poverty as a Human Right and the UN Declaration of Human Rights This reveals the nature of the interrelatedness of the whole boy of human rights and the need to address human rights in that context.
• Personal Freedom in A Doll’s House, A Room of One’s Own, and Diary of a Madman In Chapter Three of Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own, the protagonist attempts to make sense of the nonsensical elements of female history, namely, how it could be that “in Athena’s city, where women […]
• Expansion of Freedom and Slavery in British America The settlement in the city of New Plymouth was founded by the second, and it laid the foundation for the colonies of New England.
• Black Sexual Freedom and Manhood in “For Colored Girls” Movie Despite the representation of Black sexual freedoms in men and women and Black manhood as a current social achievement, For Colored Girls shows the realities of inequality and injustice, proving womanism’s importance in America.
• Freedom in Antebellum America: Civil War and Abolishment of Slavery The American Civil War, which led to the abolishment of slavery, was one of the most important events in the history of the United States.
• Freedom Definition Revision: Components of Freedom That which creates, sustains, and maintains life in harmony with the natural cycles of this planet, doing no harm to the ecology or people of the Earth- is right.
• Concept of Individual Freedom Rousseau and Mill were political philosophers with interest in understanding what entailed individual freedom. This paper compares Rousseau’s idea of individual freedom with Mill’s idea.
• Predetermination and Freedom of Choice We assume that every happens because of a specific reason and that the effects of that event can be traced back to the cause.
• Freedom and Social Justice Through Technology These two remarkable minds have made significant contributions to the debates on technology and how it relates to liberty and social justice.
• Balancing Freedom of Speech and Responsibility in Online Commenting The article made me perceive the position of absolute freedom of speech in the Internet media from a dual perspective. This desire for quick attention is the creation of information noise, distracting from the user […]
• The Effect of Emotional Freedom Techniques on Nurses’ Stress The objectives for each of the three criteria are clearly stated, with the author explaining the aims to the reader well throughout the content in the article’s title, abstract, and introduction.
• The Freedom Summer Project and Black Studies The purpose of this essay is to discuss to which degree the story of the Freedom Summer project illustrates the concepts of politics outlined in Karenga’s book Introduction to black studies.
• Democracy: The Influence of Freedom Democracy is the basis of the political systems of the modern civilized world. Accordingly, the democracy of Athens was direct that is, without the choice of representatives, in contrast to how it is generated nowadays.
• Freedom of Speech as a Basic Human Right Restricting or penalizing freedom of expression is thus a negative issue because it confines the population of truth, as well as rationality, questioning, and the ability of people to think independently and express their thoughts.
• Kantian Ethics and Causal Law for Freedom The theory’s main features are autonomy of the will, categorical imperative, rational beings and thinking capacity, and human dignity. The theory emphasizes not on the actions and the doers but the consequences of their effects […]
• Principles in M. L. King’s Quest for African American Freedom The concept of a nonviolent approach to the struggles for African American freedom was a key strategy in King’s quest for the liberation of his communities from racial and social oppressions.
• Technology Revolutionizing Ethical Aspects of Academic Freedom As part of the solution, the trends in technology are proposed as a potential solution that can provide the necessary support to improve the freedom of expression as one of the ethical issues that affect […]
• The Journey Freedom Tour 2022 Performance Analysis Arnel Pineda at age 55 keeps rocking and hitting the high notes and bringing the entire band very successfully all through their live concert tour.
• Freedom of Speech and Propaganda in School Setting One of the practical solutions to the problem is the development and implementation of a comprehensive policy for balanced free speech in the classroom.
• Twitter and Violations of Freedom of Speech and Censorship The sort of organization that examines restrictions and the opportunities and challenges it encounters in doing so is the center of a widely acknowledged way of thinking about whether it is acceptable to restrict speech.
• Freedom of the Press and National Security Similarly, it concerns the freedom of the press of the media, which are protected in the United States of America by the First Amendment.
• The Views on the Freedom from Fear in the Historical Perspective In this text, fear is considered in the classical sense, corresponding to the interpretation of psychology, that is, as a manifestation of acute anxiety for the inviolability of one’s life.
• Freedom of Speech in Social Networks The recent case of blocking the accounts of former US President Donald Trump on Twitter and Facebook is explained by the violation of the rules and conditions of social platforms.
• Emotion and Freedom in 20th-Century Feminist Literature The author notes that the second layer of the story can be found in the antagonism between the “narrator, author, and the unreliable protagonist”.
• Analysis of UK’s Freedom of Information Act 2000 To preserve potentially disruptive data that must not be released to the public, the FOIA integrates several provisions that allow the officials to decline the request for information without suffering possible consequences.
• Fight for Freedom, Love Has No Labels, and Ad Council: Key Statement The most important part of the message, to me, is the fact that the freedoms mentioned in the PSA are not available to every American citizen, despite America being the land of freedom.
• Teachers’ Freedom of Speech in Learning Institutions The judiciary system has not clearly defined the limits of the First Amendment in learning institutions, and it’s a public concern, especially from the teachers.
• Is There Press Freedom in Modern China? There is a large body of literature in the field of freedom of the press investigations, media freedom in China, and press freedom and human rights studies.
• Freedom of the Press in the Context of UAE It gives the people the ability to understand the insight of the government and other crucial activities happening within the country.
• Freedom of the Press in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) According to oztunc & Pierre, the UAE is ranked 119 in the global press freedom data, classifying the country as one of the most suppressive regarding the liberty of expression.
• Review of “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” From the youth, Mandela started to handle the unfairness of isolation and racial relations in South Africa. In Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Chadwick’s masterful screen memoir of Nelson Mandela passes on the anguish as […]
• Power, Property, and Freedom: Bitcoin Discourse In the modern world, all people have the right to freedom and property, but not all have the power to decide who may have this freedom and property.
• Religious Freedom Policy Evaluation Ahmed et al.claim that the creation of the ecosystem can facilitate the change as the members of the community share their experiences and learn how to respond to various situations.
• The Concepts of Freedom and the Great Depression Furthermore, blacks were elected to construct the constitution, and black delegates fought for the rights of freedpeople and all Americans. African-Americans gained the freedom to vote, work, and be elected to government offices during Black […]
• Freedom of Choices for Women in Marriage in “The Story of an Hour” The story describes the sentiments and feelings of Louisa Mallard when she learns the news about her husband. The readers can see the sudden reaction of the person to the demise of her significant other.
• Freedom of Speech in Shouting Fire: Stories From the Edge of Free Speech Even though the First Amendment explicitly prohibits any laws regarding the freedom of speech, Congress continues to make exceptions from it.
• Personal Freedom: The Importance in Modern Society To show my family and friends how important they are to me, I try contacting them more often in the way they prefer.
• Economic Freedom and Its Recent Statements Economic freedom is an important indicator and benchmark for the level of income of companies or individual citizens of a country.
• The Freedom Concept in Plato’s “Republic” This situation shows that the concept of democracy and the freedom that correlates with it refers to a flawed narrative that liberty is the same as equality.
• Freedom of Speech as the Most Appreciated Liberty In the present-day world, the progress of society largely depends on the possibility for people to exercise their fundamental rights. From this perspective, freedom of speech is the key to everyone’s well-being, and, in my […]
• The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom In the introductory part of the book, the author discusses his main theses concerning the link between the development of networks and shifts in the economy and society.
• Freedom of Association for Radical Organizations This assertion is the primary and fundamental argument in the debate on this topic – radical groups should not use freedom of association to harm other people potentially.
• Frederick Douglass’s My Bondage and My Freedom Review He criticizes that in spite of the perceived knowledge he was getting as a slave, this very light in the form of knowledge “had penetrated the moral dungeon”.
• The Essence of Freedom of Contract The legal roots of the notion of freedom of contract are manifested in the ideals of liberalism and theoretical capitalism, where the former values individual freedom and the latter values marker efficiency and effectiveness.
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• Pettit’s Conception of Freedom as Anti-Power According to Savery and Haugaard, the main idea that Pettit highlights in this theory is the notion that the contrary to freedom is never interference as many people claim, but it is slavery and the […]
• Democracy and Freedom: Inclusion of Underrepresented Groups For this reason, the principle of anti-power should be considered as the position that will provide a better understanding of the needs of the target population and the desirable foreign policy to be chosen.
• Freedom or Security: Homeland Issues In many ways, the author sheds light on the overreactions or inadequate responses of the US government, which led to such catastrophes as 9/11 or the war in Iraq.
• War on Terror: Propaganda and Freedom of the Press in the US There was the launching of the “Center for Media and Democracy”, CMD, in the year 1993 in order to create what was the only public interest at that period. There was expansive use of propaganda […]
• Information and Communication Technology & Economic Freedom in Islamic Middle Eastern Countries This is a unique article as it gives importance to the role ecommerce plays in the life of the educationists and students and urges that the administrators are given training to handle their students in […]
• Is the Good Life Found in Freedom? Example of Malala Yousafzai The story of Malala has shown that freedom is crucial for personal happiness and the ability to live a good life.
• The Path to Freedom of Black People During the Antebellum Period In conclusion, the life of free blacks in 19th century America was riddled with hindrances that were meant to keep them at the bottom of society.
• Civil Rights Movement: Fights for Freedom The Civil Rights Movement introduced the concept of black and white unification in the face of inequality. Music-related to justice and equality became the soundtrack of the social and cultural revolution taking place during the […]
• Voices of Freedom: Lincoln, M. L. King, Kirkaldy He was named after his grandfather Abraham Lincoln, the one man that was popular for owning wide tracks of land and a great farmer of the time.
• Freedom: Malcolm X’s vs. Anna Quindlen’s Views However, in reality, we only have the freedom to think whatever we like, and only as long as we know that this freedom is restricted to thought only.
• Net Neutrality: Freedom of Internet Access In the principle of Net neutrality, every entity is entitled access and interaction with other internet users at the same cost of access.
• The Literature From Slavery to Freedom Its main theme is slavery but it also exhibits other themes like the fight by Afro-Americans for freedom, the search for the identity of black Americans and the appreciation of the uniqueness of African American […]
• John Stuart Mill on Freedom in Today’s Perspective The basic concept behind this rose because it was frustrating in many cases in the context of the penal system and legislation and it was viewed that anything less than a capital punishment would not […]
• Conformity Versus Freedom at University To the author, this is objectionable on the grounds that such a regimen infringes on the freedom of young adults and that there is much to learn outside the classroom that is invaluable later in […]
• US Citizens and Freedom As an example of freedom and obtaining freedom in the US, the best possible subject would be the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, particularly during 1963-64, as this would serve as the conceptual and […]
• Social Factors in the US History: Respect for Human Rights, Racial Equality, and Religious Freedom The very first years of the existence of the country were marked by the initiatives of people to provide as much freedom in all aspects of social life as possible.
• Protecting Freedom of Expression on the Campus An annotated version of “Protecting Freedom of Expression on the Campus” by Derek Bok in The Boston Globe.*and these stars are where I have a question or opinion on a statement* For several years, universities […]
• Freedom of Speech and the Internet On the one hand, the freedom of expression on the internet allowed the general public to be informed about the true nature of the certain events, regardless of geographical locations and restrictions.
• Freedom of Information Act in the US History According to the legislation of the United States, official authorities are obliged to disclose information, which is under control of the US government, if it is requested by the public.
• Freedom, Equality & Solidarity by Lucy Parsons In the lecture and article ‘The Principles of Anarchism’ she outlines her vision of Anarchy as the answer to the labor question and how powerful governments and companies worked for hand in hand to stifle […]
• Balance of Media Censorship and Press Freedom Government censorship means the prevention of the circulation of information already produced by the official government There are justifications for the suppression of communication such as fear that it will harm individuals in the society […]
• The Idea of American Freedom Such implications were made by the anti-slavery group on each occasion that the issue of slavery was drawn in the Congress, and reverberated wherever the institution of slavery was subjected to attack within the South.
• Liberal Definition of Freedom Its origins lie in the rejection of the authoritarian structures of the feudalistic order in Europe and the coercive tendencies and effects of that order through the imposition of moral absolutes.
• Spinoza’ Thoughts on Human Freedom The human being was once considered of as the Great Amphibian, or the one who can exclusively live in the two worlds, a creature of the physical world and also an inhabitant of the spiritual, […]
• Freedom From Domination: German Scientists’ View He made the greatest ever attempt to unify the country, as Western Europe was divided into lots of feudal courts, and the unification of Germany led to the creation of single national mentality and appearing […]
• The Freedom of Speech: Communication Law in US By focusing on the on goings in Guatemala, the NYT may have, no doubt earned the ire of the Bush administration, but it is also necessary that the American people are made aware of the […]
• Freedom of Speech and Expression in Music Musicians are responsible and accountable for fans and their actions because in the modern world music and lyrics become a tool of propaganda that has a great impact on the circulation of ideas and social […]
• Democracy and Freedom in Pakistan Pakistan lies in a region that has been a subject of worldwide attention and political tensions since 9/11. US influence in politics, foreign and internal policies of Pakistan has always been prominent.
• Male Dominance as Impeding Female Sexual Freedom Therefore, there is a need to further influence society to respect and protect female sexuality through the production of educative materials on women’s free will.
• Interrelation and Interdependence of Freedom, Responsibility, and Accountability Too much responsibility and too little freedom make a person unhappy. There must be a balance between freedom and responsibility for human happiness.
• African American History: The Struggle for Freedom The history of the Jacksons Rainbow coalition shows the rise of the support of the African American politicians in the Democratic party.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Definition of Freedom The case of Nicola Sacco can be seen as the starting point of the introduction of Roosevelt’s definition of freedom as liberty for all American citizens.
• Freedom of Speech and International Relations The freedom of speech or the freedom of expression is a civil right legally protected by many constitutions, including that of the United States, in the First Amendment.
• Slavery Abolition and Newfound Freedom in the US One of the biggest achievements of Reconstruction was the acquisition of the right to vote by Black People. Still, Black Americans were no longer forced to tolerate inhumane living conditions, the lack of self-autonomy, and […]
• The Existence of Freedom This paper assumes that it is the cognizance of the presence of choices for our actions that validates the existence of free will since, even if some extenuating circumstances and influences can impact what choice […]
• Mill’s Power over Body vs. Foucault’s Freedom John Stuart Mill’s view of sovereignty over the mind and the body focuses on the tendency of human beings to exercise liberalism to fulfill their self-interest.
• Rousseau’s vs. Confucius’ Freedom Concept Similarly, the sovereignty of a distinctive group expresses the wholeness of its free will, but not a part of the group.
• The Importance of Freedom of Speech In a bid to nurture the freedom of speech, the United States provides safety to the ethical considerations of free conversations.
• Freedom in the Workplace of American Society In the workplace, it is vital to implement freedom-oriented policies that would address the needs of each employee for the successful performance of the company which significantly depends on the operation of every participant of […]
• 19th-Century Marxism with Emphasis on Freedom As the paper reveals through various concepts and theories by Marx, it was the responsibility of the socialists and scientists to transform the society through promoting ideologies of class-consciousness and social action as a way […]
• Political Necessity to Safeguard Freedom He determined that the existence of the declared principles on which the fundamental structure of equality is based, as well as the institutions that monitor their observance, is the critical prerequisite for social justice and […]
• Aveo’s Acquisition of Freedom Aged Care Portfolio The mode of acquisition points to the possibility that Freedom used the White Knight defense mechanism when it approached the Aveo group.
• Aveo Group’s Acquisition of Freedom Aged Care Pty Ltd The annual report of AVEO Group indicated that the company acquired Freedom Aged Care based on its net book value. It implies that the Aveo Group is likely to achieve its strategic objectives through the […]
• Freedom Hospital Geriatric Patient Analysis The importance of statistics in clinical research can be explained by a multitude of factors; in clinical management, it is used for monitoring the patients’ conditions, the quality of health care provided, and other indicators.
• Hegel and Marx on Civil Society and Human Freedom First of all, the paper will divide the concepts of freedom and civil society in some of the notions that contribute to their definitions.
• History of American Conceptions and Practices of Freedom The government institutions and political regimes have been accused of allowing amarginalisation’ to excel in the acquisition and roles assigned to the citizens of the US on the basis of social identities.
• Canada’s Freedom of Speech and Its Ineffectiveness In the developed societies of the modern world, it is one of the major premises that freedom of expression is the pivotal character of liberal democracy.
• Freedom and Liberty in American Historical Documents The 1920s and the 1930s saw particularly ardent debates on these issues since it was the time of the First World War and the development of the American sense of identity at the same time.
• Anglo-American Relations, Freedom and Nationalism Thus, in his reflection on the nature of the interrelations between two powerful empires, which arose at the end of the 19th century, the writer argues that the striving of the British Empire and the […]
• Freedom of Speech in Modern Media At the same time, the bigoted approach to the principles of freedom of speech in the context of the real world, such as killing or silencing journalists, makes the process of promoting the same values […]
• “Advancing Freedom in Iraq” by Steven Groves The aim of the article is to describe the current situation in Iraq and to persuade the reader in the positive role of the U.S.authorities in the promoting of the democracy in the country.
• Freedom: Definition, Meaning and Threats The existence of freedom in the world has been one of the most controversial topics in the world. As a result, he suggests indirectly that freedom is found in the ability to think rationally.
• Expression on the Internet: Vidding, Copyright and Freedom It can be defined as the practice of creating new videos by combining the elements of already-existing clips. This is one of the reasons why this practice may fall under the category of fair use.
• Doha Debate and Turkey’s Media Freedom He argued that the Turkish model was a work in progress that could be emulated by the Arab countries not only because of the freedom that the government gave to the press, but also the […]
• The Story of American Freedom The unique nature of the United States traces its history to the formation of political institutions between 1776 and 1789, the American Revolution between 1776 and 1783 and the declaration of independence in 1776. Additionally, […]
• The Freedom of Information Act The Freedom of Information Act is popularly understood to be the representation of “the people’s right to know” the various activities of the government.
• The United States Role in the World Freedom The efforts of NATO to engage Taliban and al-Qaida insurgents in the war resulted in the spreading of the war into the North West parts of Pakistan.
• Freedom of Speech: Julian Assange and ‘WikiLeaks’ Case Another significant issue is that the precedent of WikiLeaks questions the power of traditional journalism to articulate the needs of the society and to monitor the governments.
• Do Urban Environments Promote Freedom? Lastly, it is the heterogenic environment that contributes largely to the cultivation of the feeling of freedom in the inhabitants of urban cities.
• Claiming the Freedom to Shape Politics In addition, this paper also shows that ordinary people claim the freedom to shape politics because politics influence human rights, and the violation of human rights in one part of the world affects another.
• US Progress in Freedom, Equality and Power Since Civil War When it comes to the pursuit of freedom and ideals of democracy, progress since the Civil War can be seen in the establishment of a sufficiently capable Federal government, efficient judiciary and presidency systems with […]
• Religious Freedom and Labor Law Therefore, it is important for the human resource managers to come up with ways of addressing religious requests in relation to the current labor laws.
• Gilded Age and Progressive Era Freedom Challenges They used that fact in their attempt to argue that the slavery of African Americans was natural as well and that it should not be abolished.
• Philosophical Approach to Freedom and Determinism The rationale is that Dave’s action was not the outcome of who he was and what he believed, the values he held or his desires.
• The Life of a Freedom Fighter in Post WWII Palestine As World War II was coming to an end, the Zionist Movement leaders were hopeful that the British government would amend the White Paper policy, allow the Jews to migrate to Eretz, Israel, and govern […]
• Fighting for Freedom of American Identity in Literature Loyalty is one of the themes in the story, as the boy is confused on whether to side with the family or the law.
• “Human Freedom and the Self” by Roderick Chisholm According to the author, human actions do not depend on determinism or “free will”. I will use this idea in order to promote the best actions.
• Philosophy in the Freedom of Will by Harry Frankfurt Why? Frankfurt’s arguments are very applicable to the case of the ‘Amputees by Choice.’ His first argument is that of persons and nonpersons.
• Advertising and Freedom of Speech According to Liodice, the marketer should provide the best information to the targeted consumer. The duty of the marketer is to educate and inform the consumer about the unique features of his or her product.
• How the Law Limits Academic Freedom? The majority of academicians treasure the protections that are as a result of academic freedom. Academic freedom is only permitted in the higher institutions of learning.
• The Issue of American Freedom in Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” This is evident from the novel’s ending where the author gives a disclaimer against the story disappearing like the experiences of the slaves who perished during slavery.”Beloved” is a postmodern novel that is able to […]
• The Jewish Freedom Fighter Recollection We are in urgent need of a nation of our own, but must be willing to respond to the issue of Arab inhabitants within our territory.
• Kuwait’s Opposition and the Freedom of Expression The political system in the country has played a major role in limiting the freedom of media because the royal family is very keen on thwarting any form of rebellion against the government.
• Abraham Lincoln: A Legacy of Freedom
• Freedom of Speech and Expression
• Multicultural Education: Freedom or Oppression
• “The Freedom of the Streets: Work, Citizenship, and Sexuality in a Gilded Age City” by Sharon Wood
• Information Freedom in Government
• Dr.Knightly’s Problems in Academic Freedom
• Mill on Liberty and Freedom
• Texas Women University Academic Freedom
• Freedom and the Role of Civilization
• Freedom of speech in the Balkans
• “Freedom Riders”: A Documentary Revealing Personal Stories That Reflect Individual Ideology
• Rivalry and Central Planning by Don Lavoie: Study Analysis
• Review of “Freedom Writers”
• Freedom Degree in Colonial America
• What Is ‘Liberal Representative Democracy’ and Does the Model Provide an Appropriate Combination of Freedom and Equality?
• Is the Contemporary City a Space of Control or Freedom?
• Native Americans Transition From Freedom to Isolation
• “The Weight of the Word” by Chris Berg
• What Does Freedom Entail in the US?
• Environmentalism and Economic Freedom
• Freedom of Speech in China and Political Reform
• Colonial Women’s Freedom in Society
• The S.E.C. and the Freedom of Information Act
• Freedom of the Press
• Coming of Age in Mississippi: The Black Freedom Movement
• Freedom of Women to Choose Abortion
• Human Freedom as Contextual Deliberation
• The Required Freedom and Democracy in Afghanistan
• PRISM Program: Freedom v. Order
• Human rights and freedoms
• Controversies Over Freedom of Speech and Internet Postings
• Gender and the Black Freedom Movement
• Culture and the Black Freedom Struggle
• Hegel’s Ideas on Action, Morality, Ethics and Freedom
• Satre human freedom
• The Ideas of Freedom and Slavery in Relation to the American Revolution
• Psychological Freedom
• The Freedom Concept
• Free Exercise Clause: Freedom and Equality

✍️ Freedom Essay Topics for College

• Television Effects & Freedoms
• Government’s control versus Freedom of Speech and Thoughts
• Freedom of Speech: Exploring Proper Limits
• Freedom of the Will
• Women in Early America: Struggle, Survival, and Freedom in a New World
• Benefits of Post 9/11 Security Measures Fails to Outway Harm on Personal Freedom and Privacy
• Civil Liberties: Freedom of the Media
• Human Freedom and Personal Identity
• Freedom of Religion in the U.S
• Why Free Speech Is An Important Freedom
• The meaning of the word “freedom” in the context of the 1850s!
• American History: Freedom and Progress
• The Free Exercise Thereof: Freedom of Religion in the First Amendment
• Twilight: Freedom of Choices by the Main Character
• Frank Kermode: Timelessness and Freedom of Expression
• The meaning of freedom today
• Human Nature and the Freedom of Speech in Different Countries
• What Is the Relationship Between Personal Freedom and Democracy?
• How Does Religion Limit Human Freedom?
• What Is the Relationship Between Economic Freedom and Fluctuations in Welfare?
• How Effectively the Constitution Protects Freedom?
• Why Should Myanmar Have Similar Freedom of Speech Protections to the United States?
• Should Economics Educators Care About Students’ Academic Freedom?
• Why Freedom and Equality Is an Artificial Creation Created?
• How the Attitudes and Freedom of Expression Changed for African Americans Over the Years?
• What Are the Limits of Freedom of Speech?
• How Far Should the Right to Freedom of Speech Extend?
• Is There a Possible Relationship Between Human Rights and Freedom of Expression and Opinion?
• How Technology Expanded Freedom in the Society?
• Why Did Jefferson Argue That Religious Freedom Is Needed?
• How the Civil War Sculpted How Americans Viewed Their Nation and Freedom?
• Should Society Limit the Freedom of Individuals?
• Why Should Parents Give Their Children Freedom?
• Was Operation Iraqi Freedom a Legitimate and Just War?
• Could Increasing Political Freedom Be the Key To Reducing Threats?
• How Does Financial Freedom Help in Life?
• What Are Human Rights and Freedoms in Modern Society?
• How the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom Affects the Canadian Politics?
• Why Should Schools Allow Religious Freedom?
• Does Internet Censorship Threaten Free Speech?
• How Did the American Civil War Lead To the Defeat of Slavery and Attainment of Freedom by African Americans?
• Why Are Men Willing To Give Up Their Freedom?
• How Did the Economic Development of the Gilded Age Affect American Freedom?
• Should Artists Have Total Freedom of Expression?
• How Does Democracy, Economic Freedom, and Taxation Affect the Residents of the European Union?
• What Restrictions Should There Be, if Any, on the Freedom of the Press?
• How To Achieving Early Retirement With Financial Freedom?
• Liberalism Research Topics
• Civil Disobedience Essay Topics
• Tolerance Essay Ideas
• First Amendment Research Topics
• Social Democracy Essay Titles
• Personal Ethics Titles
• Justice Questions
• American Dream Research Topics
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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Philosophical Notebooks

Arendt, “what is freedom”.

Hannah Arendt’s essay from  Between Past and Future .

The word freedom has two common senses: the philosophical idea of free will, and the political idea of action.  Arendt argues that free will as a property of individuals is a relatively recent invention, having been created by Christians for theological reasons.  Freedom as a matter of action in the world is the original sense of the term, stemming from the Greek and Roman experience of public life.  Given the endless philosophical problems with the idea of free will, Arendt argues that we ought to think of freedom as political first and foremost, not as a property of individual will but as the human capacity to interrupt old processes and begin new ones.

Accounts of freedom have to deal with a basic contradiction between our consciousness and our conscience; we believe we are free and so responsible, but in our everyday experience, we seem to be entirely led by causality.  In politics, we take freedom to be self-evident, and this assumption guides our laws, communities, and judgements.  However, in science and theory, we take it to be obvious that everything has a cause.

Kant faces this contradiction head-on, and says that freedom cannot be an object of introspection.  He accepts a split between practical freedom and theoretical non-freedom as axiomatic for ethics and science, respectively.

The original attack on freedom did not come from science but philosophy.  As soon as we consider an apparently free act, we see two forms of causality.  First, inner motivation, and second, the causality of the outer world.  Kant does not fully solve this problem. His division between a “pure” theoretical reason and a  “practical” reason centred on free will implied that the free-willing agent never appeared in the phenomenal world.  While this move might preserve a moral law which is as significant as natural law, it does not solve the problem that thought, in both its theoretical and pre-theoretical forms, is incompatible with freedom.

Arendt’s basic thesis that this problem arose because philosophy took freedom out of its native home, politics, and placed it into the individual as free will.  The initial justification for this statement is that freedom is the youngest subject of metaphysics; its first appearance before modernity was in Paul and Augustine as they tried to work out the problem of religious conversion.

The field in which freedom has always been an issue is politics.  Our capacity for action always has to be tied to the problem of freedom; as Arendt says, “for action and politics, among all the capabilities and potentialities of human life, are the only things of which we could not even conceive without at least assuming that freedom exists, and we can hardly touch a single political issue without, implicitly or explicitly, touching upon an issue of man’s liberty”  (Arendt 1961, 146).   There are other political issues such as justice and equality, but freedom is the one reason that “men live together in political organization at all … The raison d’être of politics is freedom, and its field of experience is action” (Arendt 1961, 146).

The freedom which all political theory, even tyrannical theories, must take for granted is the very opposite of “inner freedom,” the inward space in which man escapes coercion and “feels free.”  This inner freedom has no outward manifestations and is politically irrelevant.  It is always derivative, in that it is always a retreat from the world.  It cannot be confused with the heart or the mind, which always function in concert with the world.

The derivative nature of inner freedom is more obvious if we go back to its origins.  It is not the modern individual defending himself from social conformity, but the ancient Greek and Romans and their public actions.  The appearance of freedom in Augustine was preceded by attempts to divorce freedom from politics.  Epictetus’s claim that freedom is being free from one’s desires is just a straight reversal of the ancient political notion that freedom came from power over others.  Freedom was only possible if man owned a home in the world, a place in which all the necessities of survival were taken care of.  Epictetus moved these worldly relationships into the self.

Despite the influence this idea of inner freedom has had, it seems clear it would never have appeared if people had not already had an experience of political freedom as a worldly, tangible reality: “Before it became an attribute of thought or a quality of the will, freedom was understood to be the free man’s status, which enabled him to move, to get away from home, to go out into the world and meet other people in deed and word” (Arendt 1961, 148).  This freedom was preceded by liberation from the necessities of life, but further required the company of other free men.

Not every human relation involves freedom; freedom is only possibly in a politically guaranteed public realm.  She says, “Freedom as a demonstrable fact and politics coincide and are related to each other like two sides of the same matter” (Arendt 1961, 149).

The problem today is that we can no longer take this coincidence of politics and freedom for granted.  Totalitarian governments are capable of subordinating all spheres of life to politics and a nonrecognition of civil rights, such as privacy and the right to freedom from politics.  This can make us doubt the connection or even compatibility between freedom and politics.  We end up believing that freedom begins where politics ends.

The idea that political liberty is a potential freedom from politics has its roots in the 17th and 18th centuries, who often identified political freedom with security.  The purpose of politics and government was to guarantee security, and this security made freedom possible (defined as activities outside the political realm). This essay wants to defend the claim that the whole point of politics is freedom.

Freedom in the context of politics is not about the will.  It is not about a freedom of choice which decides between two things, one good and one evil, a choice which is predetermined by an existing motive.  Rather, it is “the freedom to call something into being which did not exist before, which was not given, not even as an object of cognition or imagination, and which therefore, strictly speaking, could not be known” (Arendt 1961, 151).

Action, to be free, has to be free from two things: motive and intended goals.  Motives and goals are involved in every single act, but they are determining factors, and free action has to be able to transcend them.  Arendt says, “Action insofar as it is determined is guided by a future aim whose desirability the intellect has grasped before the will wills it, whereby the intellect calls upon the will, since only the will can dictate action …” (Arendt 1961, 151).

To recognize an aim is not a matter of freedom, but of right or wrong judgement.  The power to dictate action is not freedom but strength or weakness. Free action is not under the guidance of the will or the intellect, though it needs both to execute any particular goal.  Instead, it is guided by what Arendt calls a principle.  Principles do not operate from within the self, like motives do; they inspire from without.  They are too general to prescribe particular goals, though every particular aim can be judged in the light of its principle once the act has begun.  Unlike the intellect’s judgement which is prior to the action, and unlike the will which initiates the action, the inspiring principle only manifests in the act itself.  The judgement can lose its validity, and the will exhausts itself in the action, but the principle loses nothing in strength or validity throughout the course of the action.

Unlike a goal, a principle can be repeated, and unlike a motive, a principle can be universal, unbound to any particular person or group.  Principles can be things like honour, glory, love of equality, or excellence, but also fear, hatred, or distrust.  Freedom, or its opposite, appear wherever such principles are actualized.  Men are free, as opposed to only have a capacity for freedom, as long as they act.  To act and to be free are the same thing.

It feels strange to derive freedom from politics because we are used to thinking of freedom in terms of the will.  We think this way not only because all acts have to be preceded by a cognitive act, but because of the implicit liberal belief that “perfect liberty is incompatible with the existence of society.”  This claim entails the further claim that only acts, as opposed to thinking, are dangerous, and this is one of the fundamental tenets of liberalism.  Liberalism, despite its name, as worked hard to banish freedom from the public realm because it thought politics was exclusively about the maintenance of life and the safeguarding of its interests.  However,  “where life is at stake all action is by definition under the sway of necessity, and the proper realm to take care of life’s necessities is the gigantic and still increasing sphere of social and economic life whose administration has overshadowed the political realm ever since the beginning of the modern age.” (Arendt 1961, 155)

Despite all this, Arendt insists that freedom is the raison d’être of politics.  This claim about the interdependence of freedom and politics contradicts modern social theories.  However, it does not follow from this that we need to return to older theories.

Older traditions of freedom rely entirely too much on privacy and religious conversion.  It was Christianity that introduced the idea of freedom being a property of the will; the Greeks and Romans had no notion of this.  Further, Greek philosophy was developed in almost complete opposition to activity within the polis.

After Paul and Augustine, freedom and free will became almost synonymous, and freedom was something experienced in solitude, “where no man might hinder the hot contention wherein I had engaged with myself,” as Augustine said, a conflict in the “inner dwelling” of the soul.  The will has a self-paralyzing effect which Paul summed up in his lament, “For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.”

This conflict between what one consciously wills and what one does is a rock that traditional accounts of free will have floundered on.  These accounts, in effect, thought freedom was a property of the “I-will,” when they should have seen it as a political property of the “I-can,” of capacity for action.

For us, will, will-power, and the will-to-power are nearly identical; the seat of power in the person is the faculty experience as will.  For the sake of this will-to-power we have reduced the role of reason; we feel gripped by a necessity which turns us away from the right and the beautiful:

“ The necessity which prevents me from doing what I know and will may arise from the world, or from my own body, or from an insufficiency of talents, gifts and qualities which are bestowed upon man by birth and over which he has hardly more power than he has over other circumstances; all these factors, the psychological ones not excluded, condition the person from the outside as far as the I-will and the I-know, that is, the ego itself, are concerned; the power that meets these circumstances, that liberates, as it were, willing and knowing from their bondage to necessity is the I-can.  Only where the I-will and the I-can coincide does freedom come to pass.”  (Arendt 1961, 160)

When we talk about the limits on will-power, we tend to think of powerlessness with respect to the surrounding world.  We need to remember that in the earlier accounts of will, the defeat of the will was not by circumstance.  Rather, the older accounts have it as a conflict within the will itself:

“Christian will-power was discovered as an organ of self-liberation and immediately found wanting.  It is as though the I-will immediately paralyzed the I-can, as though the moment men willed freedom, they lost their capacity to be free.  In the deadly conflict with worldly desires and intentions from which will-power was supposed to liberate the self, the most willing seemed to be able to achieve was oppression.  Because of the will’s impotence, its incapacity to generate genuine power, its constant defeat in the struggle with the self, in which the power of the I-can exhausted itself, the will-to-power turned at once into a will-to-oppression.  I can only hint here at the fatal consequences for political theory of this equation of freedom with the human capacity to will; it was one of the causes why even today we almost automatically equate power with oppression or, at least, with rule over others.” (Arendt 1961, 162)

Arendt has already said that philosophy discovered freedom once it was no longer associated with acting with others.  Freedom ceased to be about public action and became sovereignty , “the ideal of a free will, independent from others and eventually prevailing against them” (Arendt 1961, 163).

Rousseau is an example of this.  He argued that power had to be sovereign and indivisible, because “a divided will would be inconceivable.”  In an ideal state, “the citizens had no communications one with another” and to avoid factions “each citizen should think only his own thoughts.”  Arendt thinks such a community would be built on quicksand, since all political business is done in networks of people.  A state without communication between the people would be tyranny.  She continues,

“Politically, this identification of freedom with sovereignty is perhaps the most pernicious and dangerous consequence of the philosophical equation of freedom and free will.  For it leads either to a denial of human freedom—namely, if it is realized that whatever men may be, they are never sovereign—or to the insight that the freedom of one man, or a group, or a body politic can be purchased only at the price of the freedom, i.e. the sovereignty, of all others.”  (Arendt 1961, 164)

Sovereignty can only be maintained by violence, which is essentially unpolitical.  Freedom and sovereignty cannot coexist: “Where men wish to be sovereign, as individuals or as organized groups, they must submit to the oppression of the will, be this the individual will with which I force myself, or the ‘general will’ of an organized group.  If men wish to be free, it is precisely sovereignty they must renounce” (Arendt 1961, 164-165).

Since our common idea of freedom rose out of religious concerns and an anti-political philosophical tradition, it is difficult for us to imagine a kind of freedom which is not an attribute of the will, but of doing and acting.  The Greeks and Romans had two verbs for what we call “to act.”  One had the sense of “to begin, to lead, and finally, to rule,” and the other was “to carry something through,” or continuing something which had begun.

In both cases, action has two stages.  First, a spontaneous beginning in which something new appears.  Freedom was about spontaneity.  The word is also attached to ruling; only someone who already ruled, such as household heads freed from economy concerns by their slaves and family, could be free for life in the polis. Once freed, they were rulers among rulers, among peers, whose help they enlisted to begin new enterprises.

As for the Romans, Augustine’s theology had an account of individual free will.  However, in his political work The City of God , he spoke more from a Roman background: “freedom is conceived there not as an inner human disposition but as a character of human existence in the world.  Man does not possess freedom so much as he, or better his coming into the world, is equated with the appearance of freedom in the universe … God created man in order to introduce into the world the faculty of beginning: freedom.”  (Arendt 1961, 167).

Augustine was left with a tension between his theological account of free will and his account of political freedom as the capacity for beginnings.  Arendt thinks he could have avoided this if he had paid more attention to some of the things Jesus said.  Arendt sees in the Gospels a strong account of the power of human freedom, not as will but as faith .  She offers an idiosyncratic idea of miracles as the interruption of the natural series of events, or the disruption of an automatic process.

Human life is surrounded by automatic processes, and this extends into the political realm.  Automation is a part of all processes, no matter their origin.  Begun in freedom, historical processes can become automatic and lead to death as surely as biological processes.  The periods of being free have always been relatively short.  Cultures grow and then decline into petrified automation.

In those periods of decline, freedom continues to exist, but is hidden and not worldly – it is unactualized. She says,“Every act, seen from the perspective not of the agent but of the process in whose framework it occurs and whose automatism it interrupts, is a ‘miracle’—that is, something which could not be expected” (Arendt 1961, 169).  It is in this sense that humans are capable of miracles, of “infinite improbabilities.”

History, unlike nature, is full of unpredictable events, but they do not appear because of automatic processes.  They appear because man is an acting being.  She continues,

“Hence it is not in the least superstitious, it is even a counsel of realism, to look for the unforeseeable and unpredictable, to be prepared for an to expect ‘miracles’ in the political realm.  And the more heavily the scales are weighted in favour of disaster, the more miraculous will the deed done in freedom appear; for it is disaster, not salvation, which always happens automatically and therefore always must appear to be irresistible.”  (Arendt 1961, 170)

The final paragraph is great:

“Objectively, that is, seen from the outside and without taking into account that man is a beginning and a beginning, the chances that tomorrow will be like yesterday are always overwhelming.  Not quite so overwhelming, to be sure, but very nearly so as the chances that no earth would ever rise out of cosmic occurrences, that no life would develop out of inorganic processes, and that no man would emerge out of the evolution of animal life. The decisive difference between the ‘infinite improbabilities’ on which the reality of our earthly life rests and the miraculous character inherent in those events which establish historical reality is that, in the realm of human affairs, we know the author of the ‘miracles.’  It is men who perform them—men who because they have received the twofold gift of freedom and action can establish a reality of their own.” (Arendt 1961, 170-171)

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Theology and Church

Scripture, theology & the obedience of faith, karl barth, “the gift of freedom” pt. 1.

On September 21, 1953 Karl Barth gave an address at a meeting in Bielefeld of the  Gesellschaft für Evangelische Theologie  (Society for Evangelical Theology). It was published in a little collection of three essays entitled  The Humanity of God . I am away from home at the moment and so cannot check  Busch  to find out what was going on at the time, but there is clear evidence in the lecture that Barth is engaging with some contemporary conversations and issues.

The most important thing to note at the outset is the subtitle of the lecture: “Foundation of Evangelical Ethics.” When Barth uses the term “Evangelical” he is referring to Protestant theology rather than evangelicalism as it is commonly known today. It may be, however, that Barth has in mind evangelical as gospel ; what is beyond question, however, is that Barth is arguing for an ecclesial ethics, one specifically for the Christian community, rather than for humanity generally. Indeed, his ethics are possible only as an evangelical ethics and not otherwise.

The lecture progresses in four sections, the final section serving almost as an excursus. Although it seems natural to discuss the seeming reality of human freedom, Barth asks, “Why deny priority to God in the realm of knowing when it is uncontested in the realm of being? If God is the first reality, how can man be the first truth?” [1] Barth insists that beginning with God does not in any way imply the abrogation of human freedom, although some may want to argue the point with him. God’s freedom is not naked sovereignty or bare omnipotence, but relational freedom, the freedom in which God in covenantal grace gave and gives himself to humanity to be humanity’s God. God’s freedom is not freedom from , but freedom for . God is free to determine his own being to be God for us in and through Jesus Christ. God’s freedom was and is expressed in the gospel, and although surely God’s vision and purpose includes all his creatures, God’s particular interest concerns his human creature, indicated in his becoming human in his Son.

The well-known definitions of the essence of God and in particular of His freedom, containing such terms as “wholly other,” “transcendence,” or “non-worldly,” stand in need of thorough clarification if fatal misconceptions of human freedom as well are to be avoided. The above definitions might just as well fit a dead idol. Negative as they are, they most certainly miss the very center of the Christian concept of God, the radiant affirmation of free grace, whereby God bound and committed Himself to man, making Himself in His Son a man of Israel and the brother of all men, appropriating human nature into the unity of his own being. [2]

In the second section of the lecture, Barth turns his attention to human freedom and here his exposition runs entirely counter to modern expectations. Human freedom is indeed the gift of God, grounded in God’s own freedom. But God is not simply the source of human freedom; he is also its object and goal. The natural freedom given to humanity in creation has been lost through sin, by which humanity is alienated from God and self. Humanity does not now know its original freedom, nor indeed what it means to be human. [3] Barth therefore implies that we cannot know what freedom is and entails by phenomenological analysis of human existence and action. We can, of course, understand the human capacity of choice, decision, and action, but this in itself is not freedom.

The concept of freedom as man’s rightful claim and due is equally contradictory and impossible. … Man has no real will power. Nor does he get it by himself. His power lies in receiving and in appropriating God’s gift. … God does not put man into the situation of Hercules at the crossroads. The opposite is true. God frees man from this false situation. He lifts him from appearance to reality. … It would be a strange freedom that would leave man neutral, able equally to choose, decide, and act rightly or wrongly! What kind of power would that be! Man becomes free and is free by choosing, deciding, and determining himself in accordance with the freedom of God. … Trying to escape from being in accord with God’s own freedom is not human freedom. Rather, it is a compulsion wrought by powers of darkness or by man’s own helplessness. Sin as an alternative is not anticipated or included in the freedom given to man by God. [4]

Apart from the gospel, then, humanity is “unfree.” What freedom is can be known only by understanding Christian freedom, that freedom which is given to humanity in Jesus Christ. Barth, echoing Luther, insists that freedom can be understood only in terms of “the freedom of the Christian.” [5]

To Be Continued …

[1] Karl Barth, The Humanity of God , trans., J. N. Thomas & T. Weiser (St. Louis: John Knox, 1960), 70.

[2] Ibid., 72.

[3] Ibid., 80.

[4] Ibid., 76-77.

[5] Ibid., 75, 82.

3 thoughts on “ Karl Barth, “The Gift of Freedom” Pt. 1 ”

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Is this a book or an online series of lecture?

Hello Romulo, Barth’s essay “The Gift of Freedom” is found in his little book called The Humanity of God . Thanks for visiting.

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Essay: The Declaration of Independence

While writing the Declaration of Independence, America’s Founders looked to the lessons of human nature and history to determine how best to structure a government that would promote liberty. They started with the principle of consent of the governed: the only legitimate government is one which the people themselves have authorized. But the Founders also guarded against the tendency of those in power to abuse their authority, and structured a government whose power is limited and divided in complex ways to prevent a concentration of power. They counted on citizens to live out virtues like justice, honesty, respect, humility, and responsibility.

This suggests how members of the Continental Congress such as Thomas Jefferson, who drafted the Declaration, viewed the relationship between a government and its citizens. They believed in a “social compact” among citizens, and between citizens and government. Simply by virtue of existing, they believed, every person has an equal right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

In July of 1776, the thirteen American colonies had already been at war with England for more than a year. It might seem strange that Americans would feel a need to spend time writing a formal Declaration of Independence, but that is exactly what they did. They felt obligated, they wrote at the very beginning of the Declaration, “by a decent respect to the opinions of mankind” to explain why they no longer considered themselves subjects of the British kingdom.

John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman were members of the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence. “Founding Fathers: The Declaration Committee,” painting by John Buxton

In order to make these rights secure, they wrote, “Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

A government, in other words, is established by citizens. The only reason people agree to this is so that government will protect their fundamental rights. King George III, wrote the Founders, had been breaking that agreement for a long time. Instead of protecting the people, his government had engaged in a “long train of abuses” of their rights. They believed no government should be changed “for light and transient causes.” They asserted, however, that once the government becomes an enemy of rights, rather than their protector, citizens have a right to “alter or abolish” that government.

The Declaration of Independence includes a long list of King George’s violations of the colonists’ rights. He had found numerous ways to keep their representatives from having a say in how the colonies were governed, even as he levied new taxes on them. He sent numerous government officials to tell them what to do and kept large numbers of troops among them, even to the point of forcing colonists to give over parts of their homes to soldiers. He restricted their ability to sell their products overseas, locked up colonists without fair trials, and allowed his navy to force colonists into working as sailors against their will.

Meanwhile, wrote Jefferson, the people who had been their fellow British citizens ignored their cries for help. “They too,” according to the Declaration of Independence, “have been deaf to the voice of justice.”

Why did the Founders bother to write all this down? Plenty of people in history had gone to war in order to have power over territory, and none of them had bothered to explain why. Unlike most nations in history, however, America hadn’t gone to war because they were a tribe fighting other tribes, or because Americans wanted to kill people who practiced a different religion, or because they believed the only way to have wealth was to seize other people’s property and make it their own. For most of their lives, they had considered themselves British subjects, and they had been proud of that fact. In the Declaration itself, they call the British their “brethren.”

“Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams while preparing documents in Jefferson’s apartment in Philadelphia,” painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris

They wrote the Declaration of Independence precisely because being British subjects had meant something important to them. It was no small thing to break the social compact between citizens and government, and the Founders argued that George III had broken Britain’s compact with the American colonies. They believed so strongly in the rights of people that they could not continue to put up with the King’s tyranny. He had broken the contract a legitimate government has with its citizens.

The very justification for a government—protecting the rights of the people—was also the justification, in the absence of that protection, for abolishing that government.

And so we have, wrote the Founders, “Full Power to levy War.” This may seem trivial to put in the document, given that they had already shown that they knew how to wage war against England. Their point, however, was that this was a morally justified war, waged because people will always have the right to defend their freedom.

Reading the Declaration of Independence, we see that the United States is a nation founded not on conquest or tribal loyalty, but on the idea of a free and self-governing people. The Founders—all of them important and well-regarded men—believed so strongly in the right of self-governance and the protection of individual rights that they pledged “our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor” to the cause of independence. They knew the price, should they lose this battle with the most powerful country on the planet, would likely be the loss of all their wealth, as well as their lives.

Declaration of Independence

The members of the Continental Congress who signed Jefferson’s Declaration had more to lose from war with England than most colonists. To pursue their ideas took courage. It is easy to forget this, living as we do under the protection of the Constitution they established. Because there will always be people who want to rule over others, however, we should remember that every generation of citizens must muster the courage to resist those who would take their freedoms away, whether all at once, or bit by bit.

Young Writers

The gift of independence, jayce festin, metro manila, philippines first published january 1, 1999, a privilege, a responsibility.

Our independence is a gift to us from our ancestors. Unlike other gifts, the price they paid for it was eternal. People such as José Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo gave their all in a white flame of sacrifice on the altar of their nation. They lived, suffered and died for their noble cause, knowing they might never see the next sunrise. Still, they fought on.

Andres Bonifacio said: “In the fury of your struggle, some of you might die in the midst of battle, but this is an honor that will be a legacy to our race and our progeny.” Together with Jose Rizal and countless others, their words of inspiration fill our minds and hearts like blood clots of revelation from the wounds of humanity. They, like many others, answered the call of our native land—the call of freedom.

We should look back on the glories of the past with profound pride, remembering the sacrifices as we till the fields that have soaked up blood from countless battles, as we idly cruise through cities that stood witnesses to the marks of history and as we look upon the faces of our fellowmen, knowing that it is for them they fought. Lives were lost all throughout the dark moments of history and yet these moments are the ones that have further strengthened our patriotic love for our motherland.

Our independence is tempered by a responsibility. This responsibility calls for all of us to work hand in hand to make sure that the efforts of the heroes behind our liberation will not have been in vain.

Because of our freedom, we are now of a mind to make our own personality as Filipinos. We shoulder the responsibility of creating our own history to add to the golden pages of time.

Some say that the age of heroism is past. But if we observe closely, we will notice that at one time or another, someone, somewhere is bringing new meaning to the name Filipino . We will all stand firm, fighting for God and country. After all, for what greater or nobler cause is there than to fight than the ashes of our fathers and the temples of our gods? An age without a name is equal to one hour of sweet liberty.

The Philippines is no longer an obscure blot on the map. We have passed the test of time as the Centennial Celebration has doubtless proven. The Philippines is enjoying a century of independence, but we must also move out of the past and into the hands of the new generation.

Our country is a work in progress. As citizens of this country, we must do all we can to help. The people are the nation and it is up to us to keep the torch of freedom burning.

(This an inspirational essay for teenagers in the Philippines, my country)

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Why Did God Give Us The Power Of Free Will?

by Fr. Brenton Cordeiro Faith & Life , God & Mystery of Evil

One of the greatest gifts that God has blessed us with is the gift of freedom. Freedom allows us to choose our actions and proves to us that we are not bound by some predetermined plan for our lives. God granted us this gift as part of the dignity he bestowed on human beings to be able to be the masters of their own actions.

Yet, just because we enjoy freedom, it does not mean that we can do what we want with it ‘as long as we don’t hurt anyone’. This is a morphed sense of freedom. Since we are in control of our actions, we are responsible for our actions. It’s not about the Church trying to ‘interfere’ in our lives with rules or limitations on freedom. Rather, with great power comes great responsibility.

Freedom is the power to do what we ought to do, which is not always the same as what we want to do. At the heart of things, God gave us freedom as it is only in freedom that we can choose God as the Lord and love of our lives and attain the perfection He made us for through loyalty to Him.

I felt inspired to write this post as I lived in a false sense of freedom for many years. But once I realized the meaning behind authentic freedom in my life, it changed my life and I’ve felt the need to share this truth with whoever is willing to listen.

Our free will shapes our lives. We can use it for what it is intended, that is to direct our lives towards God, or we can pervert this blessing in our lives as a license for doing whatever pleases us, even if we know those things to be wrong.

The bad news is that our freedom has been damaged by sin. This is why we often wrestle between choosing to do what we know is right, and the alternative, which grabs a hold of us and draws us to do something we don’t necessarily want to do. I know I definitely struggle with this. There are a number of unhealthy patterns of behavior in my life that have more control over me, than I have over them, leading me to say ‘yes’ to things that deep down I wish I could say ‘no’ to.

The good news is that through Christ, each of us has grace available to us to fight back and to strive to achieve an ever-deeper level of freedom in our lives. In fact, that’s part of the reason why Jesus came to this world to die for us. St Paul writes how it is for freedom that Christ has set us free (Gal 5:1). Freedom is a means to human excellence, authentic happiness and leads us to the fulfillment of our destiny, which for us as sons and daughters of God, is walking towards personal holiness and the salvation or our souls.

3 Ways Our Freedom Can Be Restricted

There are different ways each of us has our freedom restricted. Below are only a few examples:

Desires of the flesh: Many of us live under the power of our appetites, namely hunger, thirst, and sex. Therefore, some of us struggle with overeating or abusing alcohol because we use these things to pacify deeper wounds in our lives. Others live in the grip of pornography, or we frequent hook-up apps like Tinder. Whether its food, drink or sex (in whatever form these may present themselves), if we’re honest with ourselves, we are not choosing these options ‘freely’. Try it for yourself and you’ll see what I mean. When you feel the urge to indulge, you cannot actually say ‘no’, and the hard truth is that you are bound by these things. Almost prophetically, the Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks about how the abuse of freedom leads to a slavery of sin (CCC 1733).

Unforgiveness: Deep feelings of unforgiveness, especially against people who are closest to us (who as luck would have it, often hurt us the most), can trap us in a cycle where we find ourselves frequently just stewing in the anger, bitterness, resentment, etc, against the people who offended us. We allow someone else’s actions to control us, when often that person is blissfully unaware of our wounds and how they affected us.

Paralyzing fear/shame: Many of us also live in fear or shame because of things that happened (and sometimes are still happening) in our lives. These fears can range from a fear of rejection or ridicule, or shame from bad habits, and so on. We’re constantly afraid that people around us may discover ‘the real’ us or uncover our ‘guilty secret’. Some of us are ashamed of how we look or believe that we are too fat/thin/short/tall/ugly/stupid/etc. And these beliefs are sometimes paralyzing because they can destroy our self-confidence and self-image.

Rather than being bent inward looking in on ourselves or condemning ourselves for our fears, insecurities, sins, addictions and so on, God wants us to live in the fullness of the dignity of divine sonship/daughterhood He has bestowed on us. A line I once heard Bishop Robert Barron say really struck me: “God has loved us into existence and he wants to love us into wholeness”.

In each fork in the road that we encounter whether in times of difficulties or temptations, we have to work continually to use the freedom we have to choose the path that will take us to still greater heights of freedom, instead of on paths that will take us into deeper slavery to sin. Again, we have freedom available to us through Jesus. If Jesus has set us free through His Cross, we are free indeed (Jn 8:36)! The key to breaking chains in our lives is repeatedly speaking the truth into lies we have come to believe. We are beloved children of the Most High. Our wounds and weaknesses neither define us nor ought to control us.

St Irenaeus, a famous saint from the early Church said, “The glory of God is man fully alive”. I am more ‘alive’ today then I have ever been (even though I still have a long way to go). And it’s all because of Jesus! He gave me the grace to let go of a whole list of fears, shame, unforgiveness, addictions, bad habits, and so much more, that had control over me. And in each of our lives, the way Jesus will do this will be different. It calls for openness and seeking his healing, freely available through the sacraments, prayer ministry, inner healing, counseling, recovery programs, intentional efforts to grow in the virtues we most need, etc.

The way I see it, breaking free of sins, addictions, unhealthy attachments, fears, shame, etc is a part of restoring the fullness of the freedom that is ours to possess and striving towards becoming God’s original masterpiece again. I love the joy and peace that came with the newfound freedom in my life, and I’m sure if you seek greater freedom, you too will attain newfound love and peace in your own life.

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Essay on Freedom in 100, 200 and 300 Words

• Updated on  
• Nov 15, 2023

Before starting to write an essay on freedom, you must understand what this multifaceted term means. Freedom is not just a term, but a concept holding several meanings. Freedom generally refers to being able to act, speak or think as one wants without any restrictions or hindrances. Freedom encompasses the ability to make independent decisions and express your thoughts without any fear so that one can achieve their goals and aspirations. Let’s check out some essays on freedom for more brief information.

Table of Contents

• 1 Essay on Freedom in 100 Words
• 2 Essay on Freedom in 200 Words
• 3 Essay on Freedom in 300 Words

Also Read: English Essay Topics

Also Read: How to Write an Essay in English

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Essay on Freedom in 100 Words

Freedom is considered the essence of human existence because it serves as the cornerstone on which societal developments and individual identities are shaped. Countries with democracy consider freedom as one of the fundamental rights for every individual to make choices and live life according to their free will, desires and aspirations. This free will to make decisions has been a driving force behind countless movements, revolutions and societal progress throughout history.

Political freedom entails the right to participate in governance, express dissent, and engage in public discourse without the threat of censorship or retribution. It is the bedrock of democratic societies, fostering an environment where diverse voices can be heard.

Also Read: In Pursuit of Freedom- India’s Journey to Independence From 1857 to 1947

Essay on Freedom in 200 Words

Freedom is considered the lifeblood of human progress and the foundation of a just and equitable society. It is a beacon of hope that inspires individuals to strive for a world where every person can live with dignity and pursue their dreams without fear or constraint. Some consider freedom as the catalyst for personal growth and the cultivation of one’s unique identity, enabling individuals to explore their full potential and contribute their talents to the world.

• On a personal level, freedom is synonymous with autonomy and self-determination . It grants individuals the liberty to choose their paths, make decisions in accordance with their values, and pursue their passions without the shackles of external influence.
• In the political sphere, it underpins the democratic process, allowing individuals to participate in governance and express their opinions without retribution.
• Socially, it ensures equality and respect for all, regardless of differences in race, gender, or beliefs.

However, freedom comes with the responsibility to exercise it within the bounds of respect for others and collective well-being. Balancing individual liberties with the greater good is crucial for maintaining societal harmony. Upholding freedom requires a commitment to fostering a world where everyone can live with dignity and pursue their aspirations without undue restrictions.

Also read: Essay on Isaac Newton

Essay on Freedom in 300 Words

Freedom is considered the inherent right that lies at the core of human existence. It encompasses the ability to think, act and speak without any restrictions or coercion, allowing individuals to pursue their aspirations and live their lives according to their own values and beliefs. Ranging from personal to political domains, freedom shapes the essence of human dignity and progress.

• In the political sphere, freedom is the bedrock of democratic societies, fostering an environment where citizens have the right to participate in the decision-making process, voice their concerns, and hold their leaders accountable.
• It serves as a safeguard against tyranny and authoritarian government , ensuring that governance remains transparent, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of the people.
• Social freedom is essential for fostering inclusivity and equality within communities. It demands the eradication of discrimination based on race, gender, religion, or any other characteristic, creating a space where every individual is treated with dignity and respect.
• Social freedom facilitates the celebration of diversity and the recognition of the intrinsic worth of every human being, promoting a society that thrives on mutual understanding and cooperation.
• On an individual or personal level, freedom signifies the autonomy to make choices, follow one’s passions, and cultivate a sense of self-worth. It encourages individuals to pursue their aspirations and fulfil their potential, fostering personal growth and fulfilment.
• The ability to express oneself freely and to pursue one’s ambitions without fear of reprisal or oppression is integral to the development of a healthy and vibrant society.

However, exercising freedom necessitates a responsible approach that respects the rights and freedoms of others. The delicate balance between individual liberty and collective well-being demands a conscientious understanding of the impact of one’s actions on the broader community. Upholding and protecting the principles of freedom requires a collective commitment to fostering an environment where everyone can thrive and contribute to the betterment of humanity.

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Freedom generally refers to being able to act, speak or think as one wants without any restrictions or hindrances. Freedom encompasses the ability to make independent decisions and express your thoughts without any fear so that one can achieve their goals and aspirations.

Someone with free will to think, act and speak without any external restrictions is considered a free person. However, this is the bookish definition of this broader concept, where the ground reality can be far different than this.

Writing an essay on freedom in 100 words requires you to describe the definition of this term, and what it means at different levels, such as individual or personal, social and political. freedom comes with the responsibility to exercise it within the bounds of respect for others and collective well-being.

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Shiva Tyagi

With an experience of over a year, I've developed a passion for writing blogs on wide range of topics. I am mostly inspired from topics related to social and environmental fields, where you come up with a positive outcome.

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The False Narrative of Settler Colonialism

The rise of an academic theory and its obsession with Israel

O n October 7 , Hamas killed four times as many Israelis in a single day as had been killed in the previous 15 years of conflict. In the months since, protesters have rallied against Israel’s retaliatory invasion of Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians. But a new tone of excitement and enthusiasm could be heard among pro-Palestinian activists from the moment that news of the attacks arrived, well before the Israeli response began. Celebrations of Hamas’s exploits are familiar sights in Gaza and the West Bank, Cairo and Damascus; this time, they spread to elite college campuses, where Gaza-solidarity encampments became ubiquitous this past spring. Why?

The answer is that, long before October 7, the Palestinian struggle against Israel had become widely understood by academic and progressive activists as the vanguard of a global battle against settler colonialism, a struggle also waged in the United States, Canada, Australia, and other countries created by European settlement. In these circles, Palestine was transformed into a standard reference point for every kind of social wrong, even those that seem to have no connection to the Middle East.

One of the most striking things about the ideology of settler colonialism is the central role played by Israel, which is often paired with the U.S. as the most important example of settler colonialism’s evils. Many Palestinian writers and activists have adopted this terminology. In his 2020 book, The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine , the historian Rashid Khalidi writes that the goal of Zionism was to create a “white European settler colony.” For the Palestinian intellectual Joseph Massad, Israel is a product of “European Jewish Settler-Colonialism,” and the “liberation” referred to in the name of the Palestine Liberation Organization is “liberation from Settler-Colonialism.”

Western activists and academics have leaned heavily on the idea. Opposition to building an oil pipeline under a Sioux reservation was like the Palestinian cause in that it “makes visible the continuum of systems of subjugation and expropriation across liberal democracies and settler-­colonial regimes.” When the city of Toronto evicted a homeless encampment from a park, it was like Palestine because both are examples of “ethnic cleansing” and “colonial ‘domicide,’ making Indigenous people homeless on their homelands.” Health problems among Native Americans can be understood in terms of Palestine, because the “hyper-­visible Palestine case …  provides a unique temporal lens for understanding settler colonial health determinants more broadly.” Pollution, too, can be understood through a Palestinian lens, according to the British organization Friends of the Earth, because Palestine demonstrates that “the world is an unequal place” where “marginalised and vulnerable people bear the brunt of injustice.”

Although Israel fails in obvious ways to fit the model of settler colonialism, it has become the standard reference point because it offers theorists and activists something that the United States does not: a plausible target. It is hard to imagine America or Canada being truly decolonized, with the descendants of the original settlers returning to the countries from which they came and Native peoples reclaiming the land. But armed struggle against Israel has been ongoing since it was founded, and Hamas and its allies still hope to abolish the Jewish state “between the river and the sea.” In the contemporary world, only in Israel can the fight against settler colonialism move from theory to practice.

T he concept of settler colonialism was developed in the 1990s by theorists in Australia, Canada, and the U.S., as a way of linking social evils in these countries today—such as climate change, patriarchy, and economic inequality—to their origin in colonial settlement. In the past decade, settler colonialism has become one of the most important concepts in the academic humanities, the subject of hundreds of books and thousands of papers, as well as college courses on topics such as U.S. history, public health, and gender studies.

Read: The curious rise of settler colonialism and Turtle Island

For the academic field of settler-colonial studies, the settlement process is characterized by European settlers discovering a land that they consider “terra nullius,” the legal property of no one; their insatiable hunger for expansion that fills an entire continent; and the destruction of Indigenous peoples and cultures. This model, drawn from the history of Anglophone colonies such as the U.S. and Australia, is regularly applied to the history of Israel even though it does not include any of these hallmarks.

When modern Zionist settlement in what is now Israel began in the 1880s, Palestine was a province of the Ottoman empire, and after World War I, it was ruled by the British under a mandate from the League of Nations. Far from being “no one’s land,” Jews could settle there only with the permission of an imperial government, and when that permission was withdrawn—­as it fatefully was in 1939, when the British sharply limited Jewish immigration on the eve of the Holocaust—they had no recourse. Far from expanding to fill a continent, as in North America and Australia, the state of Israel today is about the size of New Jersey. The language, culture, and religion of the Arab peoples remain overwhelmingly dominant: 76 years after Israel was founded, it is still the only Jewish country in the region, among 22 Arab countries, from Morocco to Iraq.

Most important, the Jewish state did not erase or replace the people already living in Palestine, though it did displace many of them. Here the comparison between European settlement in North America and Jewish settlement in Israel is especially inapt. In the decades after Europeans arrived in Massachusetts, the Native American population of New England declined from about 140,000 to 10,000, by one estimate . In the decades after 1948, the Arab population of historic Palestine more than quintupled, from about 1.4 million to about 7.4 million. The persistence of the conflict in Israel-Palestine is due precisely to the coexistence of two peoples in the same land—­as opposed to the classic sites of settler colonialism, where European settlers decimated Native peoples.

In the 21st century, the clearest examples of ongoing settler colonialism can probably be found in China. In 2023, the United Nations Human Rights office reported that the Chinese government had compelled nearly 1 million Tibetan children to attend residential schools “aimed at assimilating Tibetan people culturally, religiously and linguistically.” Forcing the next generation of Tibetans to speak Mandarin is part of a long-­term effort to Sinicize the region, which also includes encouraging Han Chinese to settle there and prohibiting public displays of traditional Buddhist faith.

China has mounted a similar campaign against the Uyghur people in the northwestern province of Xinjiang. Since 2017, more than 1 million Uyghur Muslims have been detained in what the Chinese government calls vocational training centers, which other countries describe as detention or reeducation camps. The government is also seeking to bring down Uyghur birth rates through mass sterilization and involuntary birth control.

These campaigns include every element of settler colonialism as defined by academic theorists. They aim to replace an existing people and culture with a new one imported from the imperial metropole, using techniques frequently described as genocidal in the context of North American history. Tibet’s residential schools are a tool of forced assimilation, like the ones established for Native American children in Canada and the United States in the 19th century. And some scholars of settler colonialism have drawn these parallels, acknowledging, in the words of the anthropologist Carole McGranahan, “that an imperial formation is as likely to be Chinese, communist, and of the twentieth or twenty-­first centuries as it is to be English, capitalist, and of the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries.”

Yet Tibet and Xinjiang—­like India’s rule in Kashmir, and the Indonesian occupation of East Timor from 1975 to 1999—­occupy a tiny fraction of the space devoted to Israel-­Palestine on the mental map of settler-colonial studies. Some of the reasons for this are practical. The academic discipline mainly flourishes in English-­speaking countries, and its practitioners usually seem to be monolingual, making it necessary to focus on countries where sources are either written in English or easily available in translation. This rules out any place where a language barrier is heightened by strict government censorship, like China. Just as important, settler-colonial theorists tend to come from the fields of anthropology and sociology rather than history, area studies, and international relations, where they would be exposed to a wider range of examples of past and present conflict.

But the focus on Israel-­Palestine isn’t only a product of the discipline’s limitations. It is doctrinal. Academics and activists find adding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to other causes powerfully energizing, a way to give a local address to a struggle that can otherwise feel all too abstract. The price of collapsing together such different causes, however, is that it inhibits understanding of each individual cause. Any conflict that fails to fit the settler-colonial model must be made to fit.

I srael also fails to fit the model of settler colonialism in another key way: It defies the usual division between foreign colonizers and Indigenous people. In the discourse of settler colonialism, Indigenous peoples aren’t simply those who happen to occupy a territory before Europeans discovered it. Rather, indigeneity is a moral and spiritual status, associated with qualities such as authenticity, selflessness, and wisdom. These values stand as a reproof to settler ways of being, which are insatiably destructive. And the moral contrast between settler and indigene comes to overlap with other binaries—­white and nonwhite, exploiter and exploited, victor and victim.

Until recently, Palestinian leaders preferred to avoid the language of indigeneity, seeing the implicit comparison between themselves and Native Americans as defeatist. In an interview near the end of his life, in 2004, PLO Chair Yasser Arafat declared, “We are not Red Indians.” But today’s activists are more eager to embrace the Indigenous label and the moral valences that go with it, and some theorists have begun to recast Palestinian identity in ecological, spiritual, and aesthetic terms long associated with Native American identity. The American academic Steven Salaita has written that “Palestinian claims to life” are based in having “a culture indivisible from their surroundings, a language of freedom concordant to the beauty of the land.” Jamal Nabulsi of the University of Queensland writes that “Palestinian Indigenous sovereignty is in and of the land. It is grounded in an embodied connection to Palestine and articulated in Palestinian ways of being, knowing, and resisting on and for this land.”

This kind of language points to an aspect of the concept of indigeneity that is often tacitly overlooked in the Native American context: its irrationalism. The idea that different peoples have incommensurable ways of being and knowing, rooted in their relationship to a particular landscape, comes out of German Romantic nationalism. Originating in the early 19th century in the work of philosophers such as Johann Gottlieb Fichte and Johann Gottfried Herder, it eventually degenerated into the blood-­and-­soil nationalism of Nazi ideologues such as Richard Walther Darré, who in 1930 hymned what might be called an embodied connection to Germany: “The German soul, with all its warmness, is rooted in its native landscape and has, in a sense, always grown out of it … Whoever takes the natural landscape away from the German soul, kills it.”

For Darré, this rootedness in the land meant that Germans could never thrive in cities, among the “rootless ways of thinking of the urbanite.” The rootless urbanite par excellence, for Nazi ideology, was of course the Jew. For Salaita, the exaltation of Palestinian indigeneity leads to the very same conclusion about “Zionists,” who usurp the land but can never be vitally rooted in it: “In their ruthless schema, land is neither pleasure nor sustenance. It is a commodity … Having been anointed Jewish, the land ceases to be dynamic. It is an ideological fabrication with fixed characteristics.”

In this way, anti-Zionism converges with older patterns of anti­-Semitic and anti­-Jewish thinking. It is true, of course, that criticism of Israel is not inherently anti-­Semitic. Virtually anything that an Israeli government does is likely to be harshly criticized by many Israeli Jews themselves. But it is also true that anti-­Semitism is not simply a matter of personal prejudice against Jews, existing on an entirely different plane from politics. The term anti­-Semitism was coined in Germany in the late 19th century because the old term, Jew hatred , sounded too instinctive and brutal to describe what was, in fact, a political ideology—­an account of the way the world works and how it should be changed.

Wilhelm Marr, the German writer who popularized the word, complained in his 1879 book, The Victory of Judaism Over Germanism , that “the Jewish spirit and Jewish consciousness have overpowered the world.” That spirit, for Marr, was materialism and selfishness, “profiteering and usury.” Anti-­Semitic political parties in Europe attacked “Semitism” in the same way that socialists attacked capitalism. The saying “Anti-­Semitism is the socialism of fools,” used by the German left at this time, recognized the structural similarity between these rival worldviews.

The identification of Jews with soulless materialism made sense to 19th-century Europeans because it translated one of the oldest doctrines of Christianity into the language of modern politics. The apostle Paul, a Jew who became a follower of Jesus, explained the difference between his old faith and his new one by identifying Judaism with material things (­the circumcision of the flesh, the letter of the law) and Christianity with spiritual things—­the circumcision of the heart, a new law “written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”

Simon Sebag Montefiore: The decolonization narrative is dangerous and false

Today this characterization of Jews as stubborn, heartless, and materialistic is seldom publicly expressed in the language of Christianity, as in the Middle Ages, or in the language of race, as in the late 19th century. But it is quite respectable to say exactly the same thing in the language of settler colonialism. As the historian David Nirenberg has written, “We live in an age in which millions of people are exposed daily to some variant of the argument that the challenges of the world they live in are best explained in terms of ‘Israel,’” except that today, Israel refers not to the Jewish people but to the Jewish state.

When those embracing the ideology of settler colonialism think about political evil, Israel is the example that comes instinctively to hand, just as Jews were for anti-Semitism and Judaism was for Christianity. Perhaps the most troubling reactions to the October 7 attacks were those of college students convinced that the liberation of Palestine is the key to banishing injustice from the world. In November 2023, for instance, Northwestern University’s student newspaper published a letter signed by 65 student organizations—­including the Rainbow Alliance, Ballet Folklórico Northwestern, and All Paws In, which sends volunteers to animal shelters—­defending the use of the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” This phrase looks forward to the disappearance of any form of Jewish state between the Mediterranean and the Jordan, but the student groups denied that this entails “murder and genocide.” Rather, they wrote, “When we say from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free, we imagine a world free of Islamophobia, antisemitism, anti-­Blackness, militarism, occupation and apartheid.”

As a political program, this is nonsensical. How could dismantling Israel bring about the end of militarism in China, Russia, or Iran? How could it lead to the end of anti-Black racism in America, or anti-Muslim prejudice in India? But for the ideology of settler colonialism, actual political conflicts become symbolic battles between light and darkness, and anyone found on the wrong side is a fair target. Young Americans today who celebrate the massacre of Israelis and harass their Jewish peers on college campuses are not ashamed of themselves for the same reason that earlier generations were not ashamed to persecute and kill Jews—because they have been taught that it is an expression of virtue.

This essay is adapted from Adam Kirsch’s new book, On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice .

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The Gift of Freedom

• July 3, 2008

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.”

I’d probably read that in my Bible a hundred times, but on one particularly difficult day, I found myself wondering how on earth it could be true. If Jesus had already set me free, then why did I feel so bound up? Why did I still struggle with the same issues that I struggled with before I came to know Him? And if the church is supposed to live in freedom, why did so many others, not just me, still seem to be in slavery? Why does freedom seem so unattainable?

And so began my journey to find out what freedom really is, and how can I walk in that reality.

The epistles often use the analogy of the Christian walk being like running a race or training like an athlete, so I use this analogy: Those who will one day become elite athletes have the gifts and natural talents they need to become elite athletes when they are born — but you would never put newborns at the starting line of the Boston marathon and expect to see them at the end. First, they need to learn to walk. Then they can jog. And then run.

And the first run they go on will probably not set a world record. They must train to become elite athletes, even though the potential is there.

So how might we walk in the fullness of the freedom that is available to all of us?

There are a lot of different things that have helped me cultivate freedom. One important one is to get to know God. What better way to find out how to attain freedom than to spend time with the One who gives it? There is nowhere I can go and not be in God’s presence, of course. But while I’m always in His presence, that doesn’t mean I’m necessarily spending time with Him. And I can’t be in a relationship with someone I don’t know.

I brought a lot of misconceptions about God into my Christian walk. Often, these would surface at times when I was really struggling to see how God was working in a situation. I realized that deep down, I thought God was distant, insensitive to the difficult realities of life, preoccupied, unconcerned with my struggles, and intolerant of my doubts, my questions and my failures. In my head, I knew these things weren’t true, but that’s what I felt in my heart. So often my perceptions, experiences and feelings can paint a very inaccurate picture of who God really is. So I need to confirm that what I believe about God is consistent with who He says He is in His Word.

Another thing I needed to do to learn to walk in freedom is to say yes to grace and say no to sin.

Accepting grace into my daily life was one of the keys to helping me overcome my struggle with habitual sin. I used to try to achieve obedience, freedom and mastery over my sin by my own strength. I would pray and ask for God’s help, of course; but then when I’d fall, I’d beat myself up for a good amount of time because of my fall.

This behavior fit right in line with how I treated myself before I became a Christian, especially as it pertained to my struggle with an eating disorder. If I ate too much (in my faulty opinion) or didn’t exercise enough, or if I woke up one day and my weight was too high, I’d belittle myself and make resolutions about how to change whatever it was that I didn’t like.

This way of thinking made me pretty legalistic. I made all sorts of rules for myself in an attempt to measure my faith — because I thought it would be easier to follow rules than to try to live in the reality of grace. After realizing the futility of what I was doing, that not only does it not work, but that it’s actually not biblical, I began to more thoroughly explore what grace is and how it can help me in my battle with sin.

I’ve found this to be one of the most difficult truths to grasp in my Christian walk. Though I would have never argued that I needed to do anything to achieve salvation, somehow I carry that striving to achieve into my Christian walk. If I messed up, I made myself mope around as a sort of penance. I would try to appease God with my actions rather than with my heart.

I finally came to terms with the fact that though my sin upsets God, it has less to do with my actions than it has to do with my heart. Sin says something about the condition of my heart, and ultimately, God just wants my heart.

Look at the Pharisees. God said that in their worship of Him, they may have honored Him with their lips, but their hearts were not set on drawing near to Him. Externally, they seemed to do everything right. They followed all the rules, but they wouldn’t give God their hearts. God just wanted to connect with their hearts.

As I allow myself the freedom to experience the goodness of God’s grace, I realize that I have the freedom to say no to sin. I can embrace the truth of God’s Word that says in Christ, I have everything I need for life and godliness. I begin to see how I used to be enslaved by sin, but through Christ I no longer am, that the reason God called me is so that I can be free. God’s intention was never that I would struggle through life, just barely holding on till heaven. In fact, Jesus died so that I could have an abundant life here on earth — not just in heaven.

Saying no to sin is a learning process. Again, we’re back to the analogy of training, running a race. When we were slaves to sin, our body and mind were trained that, when faced with temptation, we sin, we give in. And most of the time, we don’t think twice about it. So like athletes need to discipline themselves to train, even though it feels much more natural to sit on the couch and watch TV, we too need to train and discipline ourselves spiritually so that when we are faced with temptation, we, like Joseph when Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him, flee the scene rather than give in and say yes.

So being able to accept grace into our struggle with sin actually can enable us to say “no” more often.

Another way I’ve found to cultivate freedom is to be honest about my faults. Learning to walk out our freedom always happens in the context of Christian community. This isn’t something we can learn alone. I think one of the biggest lies the enemy tries to convince us of is that all I need to heal is me and God. That’s simply not true; it’s simply not biblical. James 5:16 says, “confess your sins to one another” (notice it doesn’t say “To God alone”) “and pray for one another so that you may be healed.”

I’m not trying to imply that it’s simple or easy to confess our sins to one another. And in some ways, it seems illogical. Shouldn’t we just confess our sin to God, or to the person we sinned against, if applicable? Why should I confess my sin to someone who had nothing to do with the situation?

That’s a really good question. All I can do is challenge you to try it sometime. I’ve found so much freedom in bringing my sin into the light and having people say, “I’ve been there” or “I’ve struggled with that, too.” Even in situations where the person had no idea what it was like to struggle with that particular issue, they can generally find common ground in one of their own struggles. Once they know what I’m dealing with, then we can pray that God would help me and give me the grace and the strength to say no in the face of temptation.

You may be concerned that your sin is just too ugly to share, that there’s no way anyone could possibly understand, or you’re too embarrassed or ashamed of your sin to bring accountability into your life. I’ve been there, too. Not only did I struggle with same-sex attraction for years, I had an eating disorder where I was addicted to laxatives (talk about embarrassing) and I self-injured. I cut myself with anything I could get my hands on, and when I decided that was not acceptable, I punched things, punched myself and banged my head against walls. Talk about ugly.

But I came to the point where I just didn’t care what anyone thought about me. I couldn’t live this way anymore — my desire for experiencing freedom in my life began to outweigh any shame or embarrassment I felt. I became more disgusted by the sin in my life than I was concerned about what anyone thought about me.

Ultimately, it only matters what Jesus thinks about me and how I present myself to Him. So I took God at His Word, and I’ve found James 5:16 to really work in my life. There is truly something about confessing our sins to one another that continues to put our sinful nature to death, silences the lies we’re believing about ourselves and about our sin, and ultimately brings healing into our lives.

These are just some of the many things that I’ve learned about walking in freedom. Today, I can honestly say that I feel free. I no longer feel bound and burdened by my struggles. That doesn’t mean I have all the answers, and it certainly doesn’t mean I’m not tempted or that I don’t stumble. What it means is that when I do fall, I’m quick to accept grace and the help I need to keep on going and try again.

Maybe that’s what true freedom is — not that we never struggle, but that we are willing to embrace the process that leads to freedom. Maybe freedom is not just our heavenly destination, but a lifelong journey as well.

Copyright 2008 Brenna Kate Simonds. All rights reserved.

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About the author.

Brenna Kate Simonds, her husband, and their three kids live just south of Boston. Brenna Kate is the author of a book, “Learning to Walk in Freedom,” YouTuber of weekly “Coffee with Brenna” videos, and director of Alive in Christ, serving individuals and families impacted by same-sex attraction. She enjoys gluten-free cooking, reading, and spending time with family.

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Freedom Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on freedom.

Freedom is something that everybody has heard of but if you ask for its meaning then everyone will give you different meaning. This is so because everyone has a different opinion about freedom. For some freedom means the freedom of going anywhere they like, for some it means to speak up form themselves, and for some, it is liberty of doing anything they like.

Meaning of Freedom

The real meaning of freedom according to books is. Freedom refers to a state of independence where you can do what you like without any restriction by anyone. Moreover, freedom can be called a state of mind where you have the right and freedom of doing what you can think off. Also, you can feel freedom from within.

The Indian Freedom

Indian is a country which was earlier ruled by Britisher and to get rid of these rulers India fight back and earn their freedom. But during this long fight, many people lost their lives and because of the sacrifice of those people and every citizen of the country, India is a free country and the world largest democracy in the world.

Moreover, after independence India become one of those countries who give his citizen some freedom right without and restrictions.

The Indian Freedom Right

India drafted a constitution during the days of struggle with the Britishers and after independence it became applicable. In this constitution, the Indian citizen was given several fundaments right which is applicable to all citizen equally. More importantly, these right are the freedom that the constitution has given to every citizen.

These right are right to equality, right to freedom, right against exploitation, right to freedom of religion¸ culture and educational right, right to constitutional remedies, right to education. All these right give every freedom that they can’t get in any other country.

Value of Freedom

The real value of anything can only be understood by those who have earned it or who have sacrificed their lives for it. Freedom also means liberalization from oppression. It also means the freedom from racism, from harm, from the opposition, from discrimination and many more things.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Freedom does not mean that you violate others right, it does not mean that you disregard other rights. Moreover, freedom means enchanting the beauty of nature and the environment around us.

The Freedom of Speech

Freedom of speech is the most common and prominent right that every citizen enjoy. Also, it is important because it is essential for the all-over development of the country.

Moreover, it gives way to open debates that helps in the discussion of thought and ideas that are essential for the growth of society.

Besides, this is the only right that links with all the other rights closely. More importantly, it is essential to express one’s view of his/her view about society and other things.

To conclude, we can say that Freedom is not what we think it is. It is a psychological concept everyone has different views on. Similarly, it has a different value for different people. But freedom links with happiness in a broadway.

FAQs on Freedom

Q.1 What is the true meaning of freedom? A.1 Freedom truly means giving equal opportunity to everyone for liberty and pursuit of happiness.

Q.2 What is freedom of expression means? A.2 Freedom of expression means the freedom to express one’s own ideas and opinions through the medium of writing, speech, and other forms of communication without causing any harm to someone’s reputation.

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When I think about the greatest gift that has be given to our country, one thing that comes to mind is freedom. Due to the sacrifice that Veterans and current services men and women have made we have the freedoms we have today. The Freedom to go to the grocery store, clothing stores, dinner, and more, most American take for granted each and every day. Additionally, when I think of the work freedom the word free stands out to me.

Should Government Provide American Education

America, the land of the home, the free, and the brave. America and its opportunities. America’s gift to my generation are education, and our freedom to do what we want, say what we want, and to be whoever we want.

The Freedom Of Freedom

When you ask people what freedom is they may respond that freedom is when you can do whatever you want to do at whatever time. Mostly this will be the response of kids and young adults. But this definition of freedom is incorrect. Freedom is when we are allowed to have power of right to act without violating other people's freedoms or rights. The most effective tools for establishing and preserving freedom are strong government and constitution. A quote that can help out the claim comes from the Declaration of independence “We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal: that they are endowed by their creator with unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.

The Freedom Of The United States

When United States was founded, it was signified as the most progressive and political movement in Western Civilization, which has continued to change and form from all the racial, ethnic, and religious diversities within society. Through the freedom that was first generated from the separation of the church and state to the manifestation of the Constitution on December 15, 1791, it has changed the course of history forever. The expression of the people’s legal rights was the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was adopted and later put into action in the 17th century. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion...” This bill gave people a chance to express their boundless desires, simple freedoms and more notably religious actions in America. American Christianity has deteriorating moral standards and blindly accepts everything within society.

American Freedom : The Freedom Of Freedom In America

Everyone has their own version of what the definition of freedom is here in the United States but the basic definition it is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Under the circumstances of following the laws. As time has gone on it has helped freedom come along way with all the different eras and the ups and the downs that occurred that has shaped us to that “American Dream” of freedom we have today. There are many events that helped shape Americans freedom today and these are just some of the events that really helped push the rights we have today, woman starting to get jobs, slaves getting freed, Native Americans sharing land, segregation, equal rights to all and passing the law for gay marriage.

Freedom In America

When I hear the word freedom. I think of doing what I want. I think of having as many kids as I want. I also think of about all of the men that died for me. I think about all of the places I can go. That was the main thing I think of freedom.

The people of this great country should be incredibly thankful for the freedoms and opportunities we have been afforded because many individuals that we have had the privilege of knowing and many individuals that we haven’t had the honor of knowing have all sacrificed their lives to protect our freedoms. Due in part to this great sacrifice, America can and is considered to be a country with a great sense of equality, opportunity, and freedom. The United States of America as stated before is a country were individuals that reside in this country are able to do things they want to do and be who they want to be which in essence is one of the fundamental pillars that this great country was founded on.

What Is One Of America's Gifts

America’s gifts to my generation are high-speed technology, Wii games, and such as , all of which I am grateful for. Specifically, I am grateful for chromebook laptops, hot cheetos, and Irish Spring soap. I identify with these three products as beneficial, pleasurable, and practical. I know America has it’s downfalls, but looking at the bigger picture, our country is one of the most productive and rewarding country’s a person could ever live in. As of 2016, Haiti’s reported GDP per capita was 739.60. In contrast, as of 2016, America’s GDP per capita was 18.57 trillion. You mean to tell me that I shouldn’t honor and appreciate my country?

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Essay on Importance of Freedom

Students are often asked to write an essay on Importance of Freedom in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Importance of Freedom

Understanding freedom.

Freedom is a fundamental right that everyone deserves. It means the power to act, speak, or think without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is crucial for personal growth and happiness.

Freedom’s Role in Society

In a society, freedom is necessary for the development of individuals. It allows us to express our thoughts, make choices, and pursue our dreams.

Freedom and Responsibility

While freedom is essential, it must be balanced with responsibility. We should use our freedom wisely, respecting others’ rights and maintaining peace.

Preserving Freedom

We must always strive to preserve and protect our freedom, ensuring a just and equitable society for all.

250 Words Essay on Importance of Freedom

Introduction to freedom.

Freedom, a term often associated with liberty and autonomy, is a fundamental human right, pivotal to our existence. It is the power to act, speak, or think without externally imposed restraints.

The Essence of Freedom

Freedom is the cornerstone of democracy, where citizens are free to express their thoughts, make choices, and pursue their aspirations. It fosters creativity and innovation, encouraging individuals to explore beyond the confines of conventionality. Freedom is the catalyst for personal and societal evolution.

However, freedom should not be misconstrued as anarchy. It comes with inherent responsibility. The ability to differentiate between right and wrong, the courage to stand up for justice, and the sense of responsibility towards fellow beings, all stem from the seed of freedom.

Freedom: A Global Perspective

On a larger scale, freedom is the backbone of international peace and cooperation. Nations that respect and uphold freedom tend to have more harmonious relationships with others, fostering global unity.

In conclusion, freedom is not just a right, but a necessity for the holistic development of individuals and societies. It is the essence of human dignity and a fundamental element of democracy. However, it is crucial that we exercise our freedom responsibly, to ensure a harmonious co-existence.

500 Words Essay on Importance of Freedom

The concept of freedom, freedom and human dignity.

Freedom is intrinsically tied to human dignity. It allows individuals to express their unique identities, beliefs, and values without fear of persecution or discrimination. Freedom empowers individuals to pursue their aspirations, fostering creativity, innovation, and personal growth. It provides a platform for people to voice their opinions, engage in dialogue, and contribute to societal progress.

Political Freedom

Political freedom is a cornerstone of democratic societies. It involves the right to vote, freedom of speech, and the right to peaceful assembly. Political freedom enables citizens to participate in decision-making processes, promoting transparency and accountability in governance. It ensures that power is not concentrated in the hands of a few, preventing authoritarianism and fostering a balanced societal structure.

Freedom of Thought and Expression

While freedom is essential, it is not absolute. It comes with the responsibility to respect the rights and freedoms of others. This balance between freedom and responsibility is crucial to maintaining social harmony and preventing the misuse of freedom to harm others or infringe upon their rights. Thus, freedom should not be perceived as an unrestricted license, but rather as a principle that promotes mutual respect and coexistence.

Challenges to Freedom

Despite its importance, freedom remains under threat in many parts of the world due to authoritarian regimes, censorship, discrimination, and social inequality. Upholding freedom requires constant vigilance, advocacy, and education. It is the collective responsibility of individuals, communities, and nations to safeguard this fundamental human right.

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The Gift Of Freedom In The United States

Show More Freedom, the very gift of life, the gift of religion, the gift of the five senses, the gift of safety,freedom the gift of America. America the only country with freedom, truly the country of safety. We Americans will and have not backed down not once for we Americans love freedom for we will not lose, for we are the country of freedom. No one will take that away not the president, not others,not the people outside the U.S.A. Because we will live on we will not fall to other countries,they will not take America they will not take life. We will not fall we will stand because we have the freedom to stand. Our veterans will keep it and our spirits, we the true Americans will fight if anyone tries to take it away because we won't die, because

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Hong Kong: Two Journalists Convicted on Baseless ‘Sedition’ Charge

Quash Guilty Verdicts; End Crackdown on Media Freedom

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(New York) – The  Hong Kong government should quash the politically motivated convictions of two journalists and cease its assault on media freedom, Human Rights Watch said today.

On August 29, 2024, the Hong Kong District Court convicted two editors of the now-defunct Stand News – Chung Pui-kuen, 54, the former editor-in-chief, and Patrick Lam, 36, the former acting editor-in-chief – and the paper’s parent company, Best Pencil (Hong Kong) Limited, of “conspiring to publish seditious materials.” Chung and Lam face up to two years in prison.

“The Hong Kong government is sending a dire message to journalists that reporting on issues of public concern will get you thrown in jail,” said  Maya Wang , associate China director at Human Rights Watch. “The Hong Kong and Chinese governments should immediately quash Chung’s and Lam’s convictions and end the crackdown on media freedom.”

During the 57-day trial, the prosecutor presented 17 articles published in Stand News as evidence that the popular award-winning media outlet had sought to “incite hatred against the Hong Kong and central governments.” The district court judge, whom the government hand-picked to oversee national security cases, ruled that 11 of these articles were “seditious.” Police raids and arbitrary arrests of staff members had forced Stand News to close in December 2021.

One allegedly “seditious” article profiled the former journalist Gwyneth Ho when she ran in an informal primary to select pro-democracy candidates for the 2020 Legislative Council elections. A court later ruled the primary “illegal” and  convicted Ho and 44 other activists under the National Security Law, which the Chinese government had imposed on Hong Kong in June 2020.

Other articles included commentaries by the journalist Allan Au characterizing a national security trial as a “show trial” and the government’s use of the sedition law as “lawfare” and an opinion piece by the exiled activist Sunny Cheung on being wanted by the Hong Kong police.

The judge ruled that, “considering the societal unrest and the unstable emotions of the public at the time,” these articles intended to “undermine the authority of the Hong Kong and Chinese governments” and “incite public hatred against them.”

The court will hand down Chung’s and Lam’s sentences on September 26. Lam was not present for the verdict hearing due to health issues,  local media reported .

Under the National Security Law, the Chinese and Hong Kong governments have taken  rapid-fire steps to erase civil liberties in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong government has increasingly abused an overly broad colonial-era sedition law to crack down on peaceful expression. It has used the law against  children’s book authors , academics, people who distributed pro-independence flyers, and those who clapped during the trial of a pro-democracy activist.

In March, after the Hong Kong government  introduced another draconian national security law that further expands its powers to curb dissent, the colonial-era sedition law was replaced by new legislation that carries penalties of up to seven years in prison.

Since 2020, the Chinese and Hong Kong governments have dismantled Hong Kong’s once-thriving independent media, which for decades had often been highly critical of the Chinese Communist Party. The Hong Kong government turned Radio Television Hong Kong, a public broadcaster that previously had editorial independence, into a government propaganda outlet.

Hong Kong police raided and shuttered Apple Daily, arresting its owner, top executives, and staff, and froze the company’s assets. At least seven other news outlets shut down in fear of the crackdown. The Hong Kong government has repeatedly harassed the Hong Kong Journalist Association, including prosecuting its former head for “obstruction” while reporting and  making an apparently politically motivated claim for HK$400,000 (US$51,000) in back taxes.

Several governments and the United Nations have  expressed concern about the rapid deterioration of freedoms in Hong Kong since 2020. However, except for the United States, which imposed targeted sanctions on Chinese and Hong Kong officials because of the National Security Law, few governments have taken concrete action.

“The dramatic decline of Hong Kong’s media freedoms have global implications, as the world had long benefited from the city’s intrepid journalists reporting on China,” Wang said. “Concerned governments should stand up for what remains of this space by sanctioning abusive officials and supporting Hong Kong’s journalists.”

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Freedom Essay 1

Your block to the most wonderful of all gifts

By Jeremy Griffith, 2018

These are Australian biologist Jeremy Griffith’s opening words in this introductory video, which is the first presentation we recommend people watch after THE Interview , The Great Guilt that causes the Deaf Effect , The Great Transformation , and Sermon On The Beach . In this video, Jeremy describes the predicament of being offered the liberating explanation of the human condition, but, in a terrible irony, not being able to access it because of our historic fear of the issue. But, as Jeremy also explains, there is a solution to overcoming this impasse — so we urge you to watch this critical presentation now as you progress your journey with this most momentous and all-exciting of breakthroughs for the human race!

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This presentation also appears as Video 1 in the Main Videos towards the top of our homepage at www.humancondition.com .

The Transcript of this video

Hello, my name is Jeremy Griffith, I am an Australian biologist and the author of this book, FREEDOM : The End Of The Human Condition .

The situation

I want to start by posing a question: what would you do if the most wonderful gift you could absolutely ever dream of became available to you — yet a thick wall was blocking your access to it — but you were given some instructions that would allow you to get through that wall? You would follow those instructions to the letter, wouldn’t you! Well, that’s exactly the situation I want to now describe.

The most wonderful of all gifts

The greatest of all goals of the human race — in fact it has been our species’ great hope, faith and trust — is that one day we would find the redeeming, reconciling and psychologically healing biological understanding of our ‘good and evil’-conflicted human condition. As the renowned Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson wrote, ‘The human condition is the most important frontier of the natural sciences’ ( Consilience , 1998 , p. 298 of 374 ) , and in another of his books, ‘There is no grail more elusive or precious in the life of the mind than the key to understanding the human condition’ ( The Social Conquest of Earth , 2012 , p. 1 ) . Well, as will be revealed in the next two short videos, that most ‘precious in the life of the mind’ breakthrough of the biological ‘understanding [of] the human condition’ has been found.

So this IS just the most momentous event in the whole of human history where each and every human can now be transformed from having to live a life where in truth everything is just so desperate, disappointing, meaningless, hopeless, depressing, tiring, hurtful and false, to a life where every situation, every person, absolutely everything now can be flooded with meaningful understanding and the relief, excitement, enthusiasm, peace, togetherness and happiness it brings. All the confusion, insecurity and uncertainty, all the darkness in our lives, can go and we can be free of the agony of the human condition. And solving the human condition doesn’t just bring immense relief and happiness to our personal situations, it solves all the world’s problems at the source — it is the key to ending the dystopia we live in of polarised politics, failed economies, rampant greed, corruption, hate, conflict, inequality, envy, starvation, over-population, mess, refugee floods, and terrorism, and everywhere environmental devastation. It will solve family breakdown, drugs, obesity, epidemic levels of loneliness, depression and mental illness. And it will end the extreme anxiety that is now paralysing younger generations, with their grey clothing and here-comes-the-end-of-the-world hoodies, their psychosis-crippled zombie parades in the streets, and their understandable, too-much-unbearable-pain-in-the-brain, snowflake-short attention spans, which really all herald our head-long plunge to the psychotic death of our species.

SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS REHABILITATING UNDERSTANDING OF THE HUMAN CONDITION IS ABSOLUTELY THE MOST WONDERFUL OF GIFTS FOR EVERY PERSON, AND FOR THE WHOLE WORLD !

But there is a block!

Yes, with the human condition at last resolved, and our existence finally made sense of, everything can now be fixed and brought back to life. That is the magnitude of the gift on offer, BUT THERE IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM , which is that virtually everyone will find this world-saving and life-transforming explanation of the human condition initially impossible to access — I emphasise, ‘initially impossible to access’!

Why this happens is because even though the human condition has been, as Wilson said, the most ‘precious in the life of the [our] mind’ and thus ‘the most important’ of all issues to solve, it has also been the most terrifying of subjects to face, and this fear makes our mind so afraid it can’t absorb discussion of the issue , and discover that it has finally been explained and made safe to confront, which means we can’t derive all the fabulous benefits of the explanation! As soon as discussion of the human condition begins, the mind of virtually everyone starts blocking out what is being said because its prior experience of where it is being asked to go has been too terrifying. The situation is akin to giving someone who suffers from a fear of snakes a book that will free them of their phobia, but as soon as they open the book and see descriptions and images of snakes, they fearfully slam it shut; their fear blocks them from being able to access the book’s cure.

Jeremy Griffith using the fear of snakes analogy to help people understand why reading about the human condition is difficult.

So why has the subject of the human condition been so terrifying?

People bandy around the term ‘human condition’ often enough, which gives the impression that there is nothing particularly fearful about it, but that superficial treatment of the subject is part of the denial we have practised to protect ourselves from just how terrifying the issue really is. The scientist Blaise Pascal spelled out the true horror of our species’ contradictory nature or condition when he wrote, ‘What a chimera [a multi-faceted being] then is man! What a novelty, what a monster, what a chaos, what a contradiction, what a prodigy! Judge of all things, imbecile worm of the earth, repository of truth, a sewer of uncertainty and error, the glory and the scum of the universe!’ ( Pensées , 1669 ) . William Shakespeare was equally revealing of the paradoxical nature of the human condition when he wrote, ‘What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty!…​In action how like an angel! In apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world! the paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? [Brutal and barbaric] Man delights not me’ ( Hamlet , 1603 ) .

This extraordinary dichotomy that Pascal and Shakespeare have written about is what the human condition really is. We humans embody this extreme ‘contradiction’ of being the most brilliantly clever of creatures, the ones who are ‘god’ – ‘like’ in our ‘infinite’ ‘faculty’ of ‘reason’ and ‘apprehension’ , and yet we also behave in the seemingly completely unclever ‘monster [ous] ’ , ‘imbecile worm of the earth’ , ‘sewer of uncertainty and error’ , ‘scum of the universe’ ‘quintessence of dust’ way. Not only are we competitive, aggressive and selfish when the ideals of life are so obviously to be cooperative, loving and selfless, we are also the meanest, most vicious of species, one that is only too capable of inflicting pain, cruelty, suffering and degradation. As the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer wrote, ‘man is the only animal which causes pain to others with no other object than causing pain…​No animal ever torments another for the sake of tormenting: but man does so, and it is this which constitutes the diabolical nature which is far worse than the merely bestial’ ( Essays and Aphorisms , tr. R.J. Hollingdale, 1970 , p. 139 of 237 ) .

‘How infinite in faculty’ — at 830 m high, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the world’s tallest skyscraper

But ‘what a monster’ — war in Kyiv, Ukraine, 2022

Yes, as I will explain in the third and fourth videos/​essays of this series, we humans have been living with an horrific injustice that has caused such volcanic frustration and anger in us that we have been capable of behaving far more viciously than other animals, and it’s precisely that deep injustice — which, I’ll tell you now, is the implication that we are vile and worthless creatures when we haven’t believed we are but couldn’t explain why we aren’t — that this explanation of the human condition reaches to the bottom of and brings relieving understanding to.

But without this relieving understanding, our often ferocious and vile behaviour has seemed to indicate that we humans are, as Pascal described us, the ‘scum of the universe’ — and trying to face that seemingly irrefutable conclusion has been sheer terror for our minds and has led to absolutely unbearable, in fact suicidal, depression . Indeed, our fear of facing the seemingly irrefutable conclusion that we are the ‘scum of the universe’ has been so great it has taken the minds of some of the world’s greatest philosophers to even articulate the fear. That is how great this fear has been — we could hardly even bring ourselves to mention it!

Søren Kierkegaard ( 1813–1855 ), Nikolai Berdyaev ( 1874–1948 ), Gerard Manley Hopkins ( 1844–1889 )

A reviewer wrote that it is widely regarded that the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard ’s ‘analysis on the nature of despair is one of the best accounts on the subject’ (Wikipedia; see www.wtmsources.com/137 ) — with the ‘nature of despair’ being as close as the reviewer could go in referring to the worse-than-death, suicidal depression that the subject of the human condition has historically caused humans, but which Kierkegaard managed to give such an honest account of in his aptly titled 1849 book, The Sickness Unto Death : ‘the torment of despair is precisely the inability to die [and end the torture of our previously unexplained human condition] …​that despair is the sickness unto death, this tormenting contradiction [which is our ‘good and evil’, human condition-afflicted lives] , this sickness in the self; eternally to die, to die and yet not to die’ (tr. A. Hannay, 1989 , p. 48 of 179 ) . So that’s how suicidally depressing the issue of the human condition has been!

It follows then that to confront the until now unexplained human condition has been an impossible ask for virtually everyone — as another great philosopher, Nikolai Berdyaev , acknowledged: ‘Knowledge requires great daring. It means victory over ancient, primeval terror…​it must also be said of knowledge that it is bitter, and there is no escaping that bitterness…​Particularly bitter is moral knowledge, the knowledge of good and evil. But the bitterness is due to the fallen state of the world…​There is a deadly pain in the very distinction of good and evil, of the valuable and the worthless’ ( The Destiny of Man , 1931 ; tr. N. Duddington, 1960 , pp. 14-15 of 310 ) . Yes, that has been the absolutely unbearable question — are we humans so awful that we actually are ‘worthless’ ?!

In his appropriately titled poem No Worst, There Is None , the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins similarly wrote, ‘O the mind, mind has mountains; cliffs of fall, frightful, sheer, no-man-fathomed’ , articulating how fearfully confronting and depressing the previously un- ‘fathomed’ issue of the human condition has been.

So, again, while we couldn’t explain and understand it, that is how terrifying the subject of our corrupted or ‘fallen’ human condition has really been, and it’s why virtually all humans had absolutely no choice but to resign themselves to blocking the issue out of their minds, not allow themselves to confront it .

The ‘deaf effect’ this historic fear now causes

So given this extreme commitment to blocking the issue out, when that most sought-after of all gifts for the human mind, that fabulous, all-redeeming, all-relieving and all-transforming understanding of ourselves — that Wilson described as the most ‘precious in the life of the mind’ holy ‘grail’ of ‘science’ of ‘understanding the human condition’ — is finally found — as the third video in this series will explain that it now has been — you need to be aware that your mind will be too afraid of the subject to effectively take in and absorb analysis of it . An extreme ‘ deaf effect ’ (as we have come to describe it) to what is being said will occur in your mind.

So how can the ‘deaf effect’ be overcome?

The obvious question then is, ‘How can you overcome the problem of not being able to absorb or ‘hear’ discussion of the human condition, so you can access the incredibly relieving gift that the understanding brings?’

The answer, that many years of experience has taught me and many others, is that the way to overcome the ‘deaf effect’ is through patient perseverance . What will happen as you continue to read and/​or listen to discussion of the human condition is that the reassuring logic of the explanation will start to ease your subconscious fear of the subject, and before long you will find that you can actually take in or ‘hear’ what is being said without encountering any of the problems you initially experienced. If you are patient and persevere, your mind will start to realise that this previously terrifying subject has actually been made safe to confront, and It will start to relax and take in what’s being said.

I might mention — and this is something absolutely astonishing — that way back during the Golden Age of Greece, in 360 BC , the very great philosopher Plato gave the most truthful and penetrating account that has ever been given of the human condition. In it he described humans as living in such fear of the ‘human condition’ (and this is the earliest mention I’ve seen of the term) that we’ve had to metaphorically hide ‘a long way underground’ in a dark ‘cave’ so none of the ‘painful’ ‘light’ outside the cave can reach us because it would make ‘visible’ ‘the imperfections of human life’ — even predicting the ‘deaf effect’ by saying that when someone finally ‘escapes from the cave into the light of day’ and from there finds understanding of the ‘human condition’ and then tries to help the cave prisoners ‘escape into the sun-filled setting outside the cave’ , that our minds would be so completely frozen with fear that, he said, we ‘wouldn’t be able to see a single one of the things’ we were ‘now told were real’ , at least ‘not at first because’ we ‘would need to grow accustomed to the light’ of the truthful understanding. So Plato said we ‘wouldn’t be able to see a single one of the things’ we were ‘now told were real’ — that’s confirmation of how extreme the problem of the ‘deaf effect’ is! (I present a much more detailed account, with sources, of Plato’s amazingly truthful description of our fear of the human condition and its effects in Video/​F. Essay 11 of this series.)

To illustrate the effectiveness of persevering and, as Plato said, ‘grow [ing] accustomed to the light’ , a reviewer of this fully accountable, all-explaining and all-solving analysis of the human condition that I will be presenting a short summary of in the third video/​ essay of this series wrote: ‘ [When I first came across this information ] it was not an easy read. The core concepts kept slipping from my mental grasp, at the time I put it down to bad writing, however a second reading revealed something the Author had indicated from the outset — your mind doesn’t want to understand the content [actually, doesn’t want to confront it] . The second read was quick and painless…​ [and I was then able to see that] The cause of the malaise [in humans] is exposed, remedied and the reader is left with at the very least an understanding of themselves, and for me something of an optimism for the future’ (‘Fitzy’, Humanitus Interruptus – Great Minds of Today , 21 Oct. 2011 ; see www.wtmsources.com/106 ) .

Many more almost identical descriptions of the difficulty of the ‘deaf effect’, and of how you need to be prepared to persevere if you are to overcome it, are also presented in Video/​F. Essay 11 . I might mention that this reviewer’s initial thinking that the reason he found it hard to ‘grasp’ what was being said was because of ‘bad writing’ occurs with nearly everyone, and this is because being unaware that we have been living in denial of what’s being talked about, we can’t help but think the problem has to be in the presentation.

Tony Gowing’s experience

At this point I would like to ask Tony Gowing, who is a founding member of the World Transformation Movement (which is the movement that supports this breakthrough understanding), to describe his experience with the ‘deaf effect’, and the excitement that lies on the other side of it.

Tony Gowing

Tony Gowing : Thanks Jeremy. Yes, in my case, I actually inadvertently overcame the ‘deaf effect’ because my best mate’s sister is an active supporter of the World Transformation Movement, and when I was at university I often went with him when he visited her at the WTM . At first I only took a vague interest in their discussions about the explanation of the human condition because, like the reviewer Jeremy just mentioned, I also found it very difficult to ‘grasp’ what they were saying. Luckily for me, after happening to listen in on a number of their conversations what they were saying all started to become clear, and then, to my amazement, the whole explanation of us humans seemed so straight-forward it actually seemed obvious. Getting through the ‘deaf effect’ really is like walking out of a fog. Wilson’s description of the biological explanation of the human condition being the most ‘precious’ thing ‘in the life of’ our ‘mind’ , is just so true. Man, have we been living in a fog because once you get through it being able to understand everything is really and truly just so ‘precious’ ! So here I am, more than 20 years later, an extremely excited full-time supporter of the WTM who’s deeply relieved to understand and have hope for the world — and best of all for me personally, to be free of the whole horror of the effects of the human condition in myself.

I tell you, this understanding does bring an end to all the pain, all the suffering, all the confusion, insecurity and uncertainty. I now know why we are the way we are, and why the world has been so mean and full of pain, and why there can now be a wondrous change of heart in every single human from being completely consumed by an incredibly insecure, mad, terrified and obsessively egocentric and selfish mindset, to a completely 100 percent secure person living out an all-meaningful, wildly exciting existence dedicated to helping make this great change from darkness and pain to an all-understanding state of freedom from the human condition. And what I’m talking about is not another deluded ‘New Age’-type, or politically-correct, dogma-based, pseudo-idealistic, false start to the human-condition-free new world that the human race has lived in hope, faith and trust would one day be possible. No, this is, as Wilson said, the ‘science’ /​ ‘understanding’ -based relief for the human ‘mind’ that actually brings about that dreamed-of transformation of all our lives. We conscious humans needed to be able to understand our way to freedom from our distressed condition; we needed relieving answers for our mind; as Jeremy often says, we needed brain food, not brain anaesthetic — and now, at last, and in the nick of time, we have it!

Honestly, the wonder and relief of this biological insight is just endless!

Jeremy Griffith : Thank you very much Tony. You can hear more from Tony in Video/​F. Essay 5 [see also Tony’s presentation in Part 9 of The Great Transformation ].

In the next video, I will describe the dishonest and extremely dangerous excuse that we’ve been using for the human condition, and in the video after that, which is the third video, I’ll present this all-redeeming and all-transforming, human-race-saving biological explanation of the human condition.

Appreciation of Jeremy Griffith’s treatise

‘I have no doubt Jeremy Griffith’s biological explanation of the human condition is the holy grail of insight we have sought for the psychological rehabilitation of the human race’

Professor Harry Prosen, Former President, Canadian Psychiatric Association

‘It is the most profound piece of work I’ve ever read, and I’ve read a lot’

Paul, an appreciative reader of FREEDOM

‘This understanding of the human condition will end all prejudices, like racism, forever’

Franklin Mukakanga, advertising director and radio host in Zambia

‘I am stunned & honored to have lived to see the coming of “Darwin II”’

Professor Stuart Hurlbert, esteemed ecologist and Professor Emeritus of Biology at San Diego State University

‘This explanation brings about the true liberation of women and the reconciliation of the sexes, which is truly extraordinary’

Dr Anna Fitzgerald, molecular biologist, genome projects strategist

‘It has to be the most important book ever written’

Tim Macartney-Snape, world-renowned mountaineer and twice-honoured Order of Australia recipient

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Watch Jeremy Griffith present the breakthrough redeeming explanation of the human condition in THE Interview , or read chapter 1 of FREEDOM ; and you can watch a summary presentation of the key ‘instinct vs intellect’ explanation in Video/​F. Essay 3 . And a reminder to watch The Great Guilt that causes the Deaf Effect which adds critical clarification to this Video/​Freedom Essay 1 about your block to the most wonderful of all gifts.

Discussion or comment on this essay is welcomed — see below.

Please Note , if you are online you can read, print, download or listen to (as a podcast) THE Interview , The Great Guilt , The Great Transformation , Sermon On The Beach or any of the following Freedom Essays by clicking on them , or you can find them all at www.humancondition.com .

INTRODUCTION TO THE EXPLANATION & RESOLUTION OF THE HUMAN CONDITION: THE Interview That Solves The Human Condition And Saves The World! | The Great Guilt that causes the Deaf Effect | The Great Transformation : How understanding the human condition actually transforms the human race | Sermon On The Beach | Freedom Essay 1 Your block to the most wonderful of all gifts | 2 The false ‘savage instincts’ excuse | 3 THE EXPLANATION of the human condition | 4 The ‘instinct vs intellect’ explanation is obvious – short | 5 The transformation of the human race | 6 Wonderfully illuminating interview | 7 Praise from Prof. Prosen | 8 “How this ends racism forever” | 9 “This is the real liberation of women” | 10 What exactly is the human condition? | 11 The difficulty of reading FREEDOM and the solution | 12 One hour summarising talk | 13 The WTM Deaf Effect Course | 14 Dishonest biology leads to human extinction | 15 How your life can immediately be transformed | 16 The Shock Of Change | THE BOOKS: 17 Commendations & WTM Centres | 18 FREEDOM chapter synopses | 19 FREEDOM ’s significance by Prof. Prosen | 20 The genius of Transform Your Life | THE OTHER KEY BIOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS: 21 How did we humans acquire our altruistic moral conscience? | 22 Fossil discoveries evidence our nurtured origins | 23 Integrative Meaning or ‘God’ | 24 How did consciousness emerge in humans? | 25 The truthful biology of life | • Survey seeking feedback | MEN & WOMEN RECONCILED: 26 Men and women reconciled | 27 Human sex and relationships explained | THE END OF RACISM: 28 The end of racism | 29 Can conflict ever end? | RESIGNATION: 30 Resignation | 31 Wordsworth’s all-revealing great poem | MORE ON THE TRANSFORMATION: 32 More on the Transformation | 33 Jeremy on how to become transformed | THE END OF POLITICS: 34 This understanding ends the polarised world of politics | 35 Death by Dogma left-wing threat | 36 Saving Western civilisation from left-wing dogma | 37 The meaning of superhero and disaster films | RELIGION DECIPHERED: 38 Noah’s Ark explained | 39 Christ explained | 40 Judgment Day finally explained | 41 Science’s scorn of religion | MEANING OF ART & CULTURE: 42 Cave paintings | 43 Ceremonial masks explained | 44 Art makes the invisible visible | • Second survey seeking feedback | 45 Prophetic songs | 46 Anne Frank’s faith in human goodness fulfilled | 47 Humour and swearing explained | 48 R.D. Laing’s fearless honesty | ABOUT BIOLOGIST JEREMY GRIFFITH: 49 Jeremy’s biography | 50 Australia’s role | 51 Sir Laurens van der Post’s fabulous vision | 52 Jeremy’s children’s book A Perfect Life | 53 The ‘instinct vs intellect’ explanation is obvious – long | 54 The accusation of hubris | DO WE FAIL OR DO WE MAKE IT? 55 Endgame for the human race | 56 Why there have been ferocious attacks on the WTM | 57 Magnificence of the Transformed State – video 1 | 58 Magnificence of the Transformed State – video 2 | MARKETING: 59 Shouldn’t the WTM’s website be toned down? | 60 The crime of ‘ships at sea’ ‘pocketing the win’ | GENERAL DISCUSSIONS BY JEREMY: 61 General Discussion by Jeremy Aug. 2018 | 62 Jeremy’s Masterpiece Presentation Feb. 2019 | HEALTH & HEALING: 63 Pseudo therapy/healing | 64 Real therapy/healing | From here on are Transformation Affirmations and More Good Info Emails

These essays were created in 2017 - 2024 by Jeremy Griffith, Damon Isherwood, Fiona Cullen-Ward , Brony FitzGerald & Lee Jones of the Sydney WTM Centre. All filming and editing of the videos was carried out by Sydney WTM members James Press & Tess Watson during 2017 - 2024 . Other members of the Sydney WTM Centre are responsible for the distribution and marketing of the videos/​essays, and for providing subscriber support.

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A majority on the state Supreme Court sided with the secretary of state, who had rejected a citizen group’s petition for failing to submit some of the necessary paperwork.

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By Emily Cochrane

Reporting from Nashville.

The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that an abortion-rights amendment was ineligible for the November ballot, agreeing with state officials that organizers of the effort had failed to submit all of the required paperwork.

The measure appeared all but set to proceed last month when organizers announced they had submitted more than 101,000 signatures in favor of it, well above the minimum 90,704 signatures required to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Freedom — Summary Americas Gift To My Generation

Summary Americas Gift to My Generation

• Categories: Freedom

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Words: 918 |

Published: Mar 19, 2024

Words: 918 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Table of contents

I. introduction, ii. historical context, iii. economic impact, social impact, political impact, a. the impact of america's gift on social mobility and social justice cannot be overstated. the promise of freedom and opportunity has allowed individuals from all walks of life to rise above their circumstances and achieve success. this has led to a more equitable society where hard work and determination can pave the way for a brighter future., b. the gift of freedom and opportunity has also played a crucial role in shaping social movements and activism among young people. from the civil rights protests of the 1960s to the black lives matter movement of today, young americans have been at the forefront of advocating for social change and equality. this activism has been fueled by america's commitment to freedom and opportunity, which empowers individuals to speak out and fight for a better world., c. diversity and inclusion have also been key factors in promoting social progress for my generation. america's gift of freedom and opportunity has allowed individuals from diverse backgrounds to come together, share their experiences, and work towards a more inclusive society. this has led to a greater awareness of social issues and a collective effort to address systemic inequalities that still exist in our country., a. democracy and civic engagement have been essential in shaping the political landscape for young people in america. the gift of freedom and opportunity has allowed individuals to participate in the democratic process, vote for their representatives, and have a say in the future of their country. this has empowered young americans to have a voice in shaping policies and laws that affect their lives., b. america's gift of freedom and opportunity has also influenced political participation among my generation. young people have been at the forefront of political movements, advocating for change and pushing for policies that reflect their values and beliefs. this active engagement in the political process has been a testament to the enduring legacy of america's commitment to freedom and opportunity., c. despite the challenges that young people face in shaping the future of american democracy, the gift of freedom and opportunity remains a source of hope and inspiration. with a deep-seated belief in the principles of equality and justice, my generation stands ready to tackle the pressing issues of our time and work towards a more inclusive and prosperous future for all..

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