FREEDOM: HOW FREE INDEED!

I give it to Jefferson! – for holding that the truth of the claims that ‘all men are created equal’ and that ‘all men are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’ are self-evident – indeed! You can find this in the American Declaration of Independence chiefly authored by Thomas Jefferson. However, I am uncomfortable with the founders of America for narrowing down the notion of freedom to the self (that is, freedom as self-determination) rather than highlighting the essential place of responsibility in being-free. And so while America enjoys the credit of being the contemporary avatar of freedom, concretely expressed in her ceaseless campaign for global democracy, they should not shy away from shouldering the blame for having served us a half-baked notion of freedom.

Freedom, properly understood, is a human condition that allows for self-expression, giving rise to self-determination, and hence human flourishing. It is all about letting the individual be him or herself as against subjugating them to the image, whims and caprices of another. It involves letting them think their own thoughts; say what words they deem necessary; decide upon what line of action to take; and make the ultimate choice of becoming whatever it is that is their noble aspiration. Given this understanding, we find that the idea of freedom is a desirable and a positive notion geared towards driving the individual to his or her goal.

However, we find that the free individual does not exist in a vacuum, a forest nor merely thriving amongst beasts; no, they strictly exist in the very context of other free individuals – all of whom are expressing themselves, deciding upon and pursuing their noble aspirations. Then, imagine what becomes of them all if the freedom of one is not checked by the freedom of another. By my intuition, it will be akin to a play of chaos and anarchy. The check that comes into play to ensuring a harmonious co-existence in the course an individual’s self-expression is called responsibility, which is the fact that our individual self-expressions are replete of dire consequences if not properly ordered. And that accounts for why at the thought-level one could be morally guilty of lust; one’s utterance could be construed as slander in the court of law and libel when written; actions can be adjudged as theft, murder, etc.

Sadly and pitiably enough is the lousy and misleading notion of freedom as license – damning the consequence(s)! And this catastrophic understanding of freedom has found its way into the mind and heart of contemporary youths. When you see a young man behind the wheels of a car, when you see them romance bottles of alcohol, when see the guys chase after girls and the girls frequently procure an abortion, when you see the girls parade the streets in skimpy dresses, and when youths engage in cult activities – just try asking them why they do those things and you can be sure they will appeal to freedom as their major premise. With this capricious appeal to freedom, parents have lost moral authority over their children, church ministers now have to watch their tongues on certain contending issues less they minister to themselves, the government now have to legalize whatever stands on the way of the freedom of their citizens, etc. And so our very age and time is grossly messed up!

Behold the way forward! The Tanzanian Julius Nyerere calls it ujamaa – the philosophy of community and brotherhood, where the ‘I’ derives meaning from the ‘We’. Transporting this understanding into our discourse on freedom, ‘individual freedom’ when viewed from the perspective of deriving from and contributing to ‘community freedom’ makes for ‘meaningful freedom’. By meaningful freedom is meant the state of affairs characterized by peace of mind and body, absence of fear and anxiety, mutual respect, healthy competition, increased productivity, and a sense of general well-being, happiness and human flourishing.

Let’s conclude with an instantiation. As a growing man, I sure have a free sexuality – and so the freedom to relate with the opposite sex. Conventional contemporary wisdom dictates that I am free to have ‘protected’ sex with Michaela* if she consents. But am I really free to do that? I leave you to decipher the answer from the following analysis. The fun of having had sex with her was short-lived when I found myself in a horrible scenario: Michaela laid on the hospital bed under life support; my mum and dad were just around signing some papers on my behalf; her mum laid on the floor crying uncontrollably, and I sensed from her dad’s piercing looks that I had finished his only daughter. And for the very first time I heard God speak: ‘My son’, he said, ‘face it!’

I was free, then got her pregnant. She was free, then procured an abortion – from a quark! Our futures became at stake and our families were put in a mess. And so, when next you define freedom, do so with reference to responsibility not license.