Freedom Comes with responsibility

Freedom is a much sought-after thing in the world but the caveat is it comes with responsibility. Freedom must be such that it does not encroach upon others’ freedom or harm them. Most people want freedom without responsibility and they resort to unscrupulous and unethical means towards seeking freedom. Freedom should be for decent things and not for notorious things. Youngsters are so bubbling with enthusiasm and energy that they want a carte blanche as far as freedom is concerned without realizing the dangers of having untrammeled freedom. Freedom without responsibility is like riding a bike without brakes. The results of freedom without responsibility are disastrous to all concerned. Most of us love freedom but avoid responsibility for the same. Most of the problems in the world are due to this avoidance of responsibility while enjoying freedom. It also amounts to dire consequences for those who aspire to freedom without responsibility. Freedom is really a wonderful thing but sans responsibility, it is deleterious and pernicious. It is mandatory to have maturity, knowledge, wisdom, and understanding to enjoy freedom. Freedom is the most precious thing in the world and is far better than wealth. Birds have so much freedom that we human beings are envious of avian creatures.

J Krishnamurthy the maverick philosopher emphasized that freedom is the most valuable gift. If you have freedom from biases, evils, and villainous intentions you are an emperor. Even the most hated mystic Osho was very clear about the need for freedom on which he had written a whole book. The epic book Bhagwat Geeta also advised enjoying freedom by abjuring anger, hatred, envy, lust, and ego. When we have true freedom, we feel blissful. A truly free man would enjoy life without narcissism. He would enjoy everything without getting attached to anything. It is a unique tribute to a human being the exuberance and euphoria emanating from freedom. A free man will have a wide horizon and will treat every sentient being with loads of compassion and empathy. When we are enjoying freedom, we are divine and love everything and everybody. Freedom is a tribute in itself and it is not free from anything but freedom as a unique attribute. It is not free from anything like anger, lust, envy, ego, and hatred but pure and sublime freedom. However, we need to be careful that we are not too stressed about becoming free as freedom has to flow quietly and smoothly.

We are most of the time incarcerated in our own prisons. Those who are in real jails may be happy if they choose to be. There is one analogy and a parable where two persons are in jail; one sees mud from his prison and the other stars. For freedom to blossom, corresponding responsibility has to be taken. The more responsibility we take the more freedom we will have as shirking responsibility will make others take a very dim view of us. Freedom and responsibility are the two faces of the same coin. If we avoid responsibility while craving freedom our conscience will torment us to no end. Too much of freedom sans responsibility may lead us to a quagmire and danger. Our temperament has to be very balanced and our horizon of maturity, understanding, compassion, and wisdom are to be fine-tuned. Even creatures other than human beings are free to a great extent as they are contented unlike, we human beings who are greedy but they are not conscious. Humans can create a paradise on planet earth if they do not encroach upon the freedom of others.

To conclude we may as well treat freedom as the birthright of every sentient being. All the wealth in the world cannot compensate for freedom. In the absence of freedom, we may experience claustrophobia. Paradoxically, many less fortunate people are enjoying immense freedom and those who are filthy rich are living in a golden prison. It is in our hands to balance freedom and wealth. Both are essential. That is the essence of freedom with responsibility. Late Abdul Kalam was the right example of a person enjoying freedom with responsibility. Dr. Nelson Mandela despite being in the prison for 27 years enjoyed freedom as it is all in our mind.