Good morning beautiful humans!
This is the first time that I'm answering the #ecotrain QOTW, and of course I'm doing so after @eco-alex already put out the wrap-up post. I've basically been non-digital since last Tuesday, and when I got on today, the question just screamed for me to answer it!
"Bearing in mind the health and state of our western culture and society today, do you think we have too much freedom?"
The short answer: absolutely, positively, NO. Quite the opposite actually, freedom is the thing that is most missing in the world.
The video above contains my response to this question, but I feel like the definition of freedom is very important to the answers. Here are the two definitions I personally hold for the word, as well as the Oxford definition, and the etymology:
- Total responsibilty for your actions, experience, and feelings.
- Being free from violence or coercion
- According to Oxford:
- The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants.
- The state of not being imprisoned or enslaved.
- (freedom from) The state of not being subject to or affected by (something undesirable)
- Etymology: Old English freodom "power of self-determination, state of free will; emancipation from slavery, deliverance;" see free (adj.) + -dom. Meaning "exemption from arbitrary or despotic control, civil liberty" is from late 14c. Meaning "possession of particular privileges" is from 1570s. Similar formation in Old Frisian fridom, Dutch vrijdom, Middle Low German vridom.
If you enjoyed this, you may enjoy some of these highlights of my blog:
"Greatest Hits/Table of Contents" of my first 2 years on Steemit
The 8 Pillars of @TribeSteemUp: Clarification, Refinement, and Re-Casting the Spell
The Status, Vision, and Needs of Real Life: The Role-Playing Game
Be Empowered Official Announcement & Website Launch - 3 Days of Steem-Powered, Holistic Empowerment
Yeah, truly ridiculous question. Too much freedom? Is there ever too much Freedom? In my video today I talk about how freedom of speech is under attack right now with all this censorship. Government inherently is anti-freedom as you know, haha. Sometimes it is difficult to leave comments for awakened people because they are people I can sit in silence and not say a word with and feel completely at ease.
sits in silence
After checking some of the entries from people answering to this question, I am kind of happy only 1 said we had too much freedom.
I agree that starting with the definition of freedom is important to avoid potentials misunderstandings.
Any person that lives in Western society and beliefs there is "too much" freedom is someone who has clearly zero experience with real lack of freedom, like it happens in other countries.
I understand that kids being kind of kidnapped for not attending the educational system, or the pig being owned should be considered a lack of freedom in some sense, but that doesn't mean Western society is not the place with more freedom in the world. It is not perfect, and in some aspects it has been degenerating itself (mainly due to governments expanding their power) but if you compare western society with other places, it is easy to come to the conclusion that there is more freedom in the west.
I think people that belief there is too much freedom are the ones supporting government increasing their power, and slowly but surely creating monsters that we will have to dealt with in the not so distant future, and in some cases, even right now in the present...
I actually kind of spaced the western world part when I recorded my video, so I was speaking on a global level rather just referring to the Vatican's British-American Empire.
While there certainly are many varieties of tyranny, and the "west" (west of what exactly? West of where I grew up is an ocean, then Japan haha) is the most sneaky with theirs. In terms of simply the number of "laws" that you can be extorted/kidnapped/killed for violating, the US is the least free place on the planet.
My overstanding is that as more humans choose to live free (responsible), there will organically be less and less external violations of freedom.
well said brother.. . very eloquently spoken on such a major issue.. you are of course preaching to the choir.. and i also wrote about the things you have spoken about.. tax and extortion in particular is one prime example...
Very happy you took part! Here's to the paradigm shift! One love, welcome back!
<3
It's good to be back brother! I hope to participate in more of them in coming months, I'm going to be re-focusing on my content creation in a big way coming out of August.
I figured many of the folks probably had a similar answer, but after a month with very little desire to write/post, when the inspiration hit I had to run with it :-)
well you come across SO well on video.. so i think its really valuable to see your answer and feel your passion for this .. thats the whole point really of this weeks question.. to think about and remind ourselves of what freedom is..
I hope to try a chatty video sometime.. just saving up bravery points.. <3 and congrats on 70 xxx
There is never too much freedom because there is none at all. Great reply and great seeing you on @ecotrain.
Honestly I feel the most happy in my life when I am in the same place as Kenny and Derrick. Your energy is something amazing. Excellent video brother, thank you for all that you do for the community.
As I sit in a cubicle at my 9-5 job I'm going to have to say there is definitely not too much freedom.....
You're too healthy. You're too happy. You're too courageous. You have too much integrity.