Monday, November 3, 2008

freedom

Is there such a thing as limited freedom?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness yes. And there is a thing with no freedom. Freedom is almost always thought of as akin to free will. The idea to go anywhere, do anything and say anything is what most Americans expect freedom to be but Americans pen up or put in jail cells, animals of every kind in locations called zoos. When I was growing up I could go to county fairs and see people who were mentally disturbed, being put on exhibition by people who owned them. They were called "Freaks" and it costs money to get into a tent to see them in cages acting like animals. They had no freedoms.

You may not know that the village where I grew up, Gordon, Ohio, had people who were completely on their own and so far as I know, never got mail or bought much of anything at either grocery store. They had all the freedoms the rest of us had and were highly respected in the community.

They were the Weimer brothers who raised everything they ate. They were not worldly people like the rest of us.

Charley had a nice vegetable garden. I never saw him or any of the brothers buy anything at the grocery stories but I am sure they must have purchased things like lard, salt, pepper, sugar and maybe coffee or tea. They had chickens for eggs and raised everything else they ate in their gardens. My Village, Gordon, Ohio

Diederick Wijmans said...

There are many forms of limited freedom. People who suffer from physical handicaps, innocent victims sentenced to jail (if not worse), people confined to their homes because they have dared to speak up against their government, young women compelled to exercise the oldest profession in the world against their will, child-labour,and so on. Limited freedom exists more than we realize and your photo expresses this extremely well!!

Virginia said...

What a powerful photograph today. your perspective is so interesting. Freedom. What a precious gift that far too often we take for granted.

Anonymous said...

A very beautiful reflection...

alice said...

I've been away from France for a few days and I just read about your coming back, great! But I don't see your photo on the portal?

monoblog said...

Thank you all for your precious feedbacks; much appreciated...

Petrea Burchard said...

A photo to make one think. Freedom can be limited in so many ways. It's our job, as humans, to keep working to free ourselves and others.

monoblog said...

Thanks so much for your contribution Petrea.

Kris McCracken said...

I’m a firm believer in the idea of positive and negative freedom. As an unapologetic social democrat, I am happy for the state to infringe upon some of my liberty to enhance my liberty in other areas and give me a pleasant vista.

Thus, negative freedom is the absence of obstacles, barriers or constraints. Positive freedom is the possibility of acting — or the fact of acting — in such a way as to take control of one's life and realise one's fundamental purposes.

A negative vision of freedom might say that “the state cannot force me to send my child to school, and thus impinge upon my liberty”. Conversely, a positive view of freedom might argue that “in forcing parents to send children to school, the children’s outlooks/possibilities are broadened. Thus, in limiting freedom (forcing education) we enhance it (providing opportunity).

monoblog said...

Kris, thanks to your generous contribution.