LIBERTY

Essay by Katsiaryna Byrina





What is liberty? It is rather difficult to answer this question in some words. Different people understand this notion in their own way. For some of them "liberty" means just to do nothing. For others:

There are plenty of book, articles, and thoughts about liberty. Many authors describe different form of liberty.

What concern this essay – I'll try to show my own point of view on "liberty". What is it for me.

You'll agree with me that the most important thing for an individual is life, without which there is nothing. The object of life is happiness and self-fulfillment.

What distinguishes human from other form of life is the ability, to learn from experience. To survive and prosper we have to us our minds. We can develop our mental faculties only by exercising them with freedom to make and act on our own individual decisions.

Liberty is essential for being human and experiencing happiness and self-fulfillment. If you cannot do what you need to do and avoid what is harmful, you may not even survive. I agree with the thought: "The right to your life is useless without the right to support yourself. So you also have the right to use your mind and body to produce what you need, and to own and use what you produce. Only you have a right to decide what is good for you."

It's a paradoxical fact, but nowadays many people of our society got used to live without liberty, without a right to decide what is good for them. To be under the command of smb is "easy", "pleasant" for them. They needn't think. They needn't act in their own way, because they act automatically. They always have a possibility to accuse smb (e.g. boss, director) of their misfortune. Everything is determined (how, where, when, how much to work, to be paid). So, such people are ready to live without liberty. They think they are free, but they aren't. I mean, people understand freedom as smth external. But it is smth internal. Even a prisoner can feel free himself. Because freedom is inside us. Everything in our life takes its beginning from us, from our inner "Ego". Everything depends on us. Everything that is happening in our life at present moment – is not happening accidentally. It is a result of our choice is the past. Those who choose health and happiness will be healthy and happy. Because our ideas and thoughts can have major consequences, good and bad.

So, Liberty determines whether we will have peace, justice, progress, prosperity, health and happiness; or war, injustice, stagnation, poverty and misery. People can make choice.

If you want to change your life think overthese question:

So, you must remember: everybody has a power of his (her) own agreement and illness, on wealth and poverty, on freedom and slavery. Only we and nobody else manage this great power.

You are free. That's why you are free to go where you want. You are your own master. You needn't pretend to be smb.

I know and watch different people. I observe their actions, ideas, and thoughts. I try to persuade some of them to change their lives, to open minds. And have discovered such a paradox: the most difficult things to convince a free human of that he has a freedom.

To support my thought I'd like to tell you one parable.

"Once upon a time there were being who lived in a village at the bottom of a big pyre river.

The "stream" was silently flowing over all of them – over the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the kind and the wicked beings. The "stream" flew its own way. It knows only its own crystal-clear "ego".

All the beings were catching on the stems and stones at the bottom of the river. Everyone was doing that in his own way. "Catching on" was their style of life. And every being learnt how to resist to the "stream" from the very birth.

But one being said at last: "I am tired of catching on. I believe that the "stream" knows where it is flowing, though I can't see its way. I am going to come away. Be what may be! Let the "stream" carry me, where it wants. Otherwise I'll die of boredom!"

Other beings laughted and said: "You are so foolish. You'll come away and the "stream" will throw you on stones. So, you'll die sooner of it, then of boredom!"

But courageous being didn't pay attention on their piece of advice with deep breath he stopped catching on. He was whirled right by the stream and thrown on stones.

However he refused to catch on again and the "stream" picked up the being – the free being – from the bottom and he wasn't bruised.

Other being at the bottom of the river (he has already become a stranger for them) shouted: "Look! Look! He is flying! Miracle has occurred! Messiah has come to save all of us!"

But he, who was carrying along the "stream" said: "I am neither more nor less a Messiah you are. The river welcome us – free beings – with the great delight as soon as we dare to come away. Our life's true sense our true work is in this tour, in this adventure!"

But they shouted louder: "Our savior!" But they were catching on the stems and stones at the bottom of the river as always. When they looked upwards again, he has vanished from sight. They were left alone and started to create legends about the saviour."

There is nothing to say after this parable, with the exception of:

in order to have a liberty you are to be ready for it, to want to have it, to understand and be sure that you are free.