On the Nature of Freedom…
Words mean different things to different people. I had always understood this maxim, but it was not until one of my history professors spoke to our class on the true nature of words that I fully grasped the concept. We, of all things, were discussing a rough draft of my paper for our senior project, and my peers had a myriad of things to say. Some thought I spoke too strongly, some simply did not understand, and others were disgusted or inspired.
Dr. Barringer (the greatest of mentors and educators) walked to the chalk board and drew a Latin Cross. He asked the class what that meant to us. Without hesitation we each announced how the image made us feel: christianity, Jesus Christ, salvation, sacrifice, and on and on… He then wrote the word Christianity next to his drawing and inquired again in the same fashion: Jesus Christ, salvation, grace, Heaven, and on and on…
He then went into a brief description of his antics. Dr. Barringer told us that there is no difference between the image of the Latin Cross and the word Christianity. Both are symbols which evoke feeling and emotion, carry weight and prejudice, are filtered through a plethora of biases and predetermined opinion. He explained that great history writers understand symbols and use them to create emotion and tone without expressing clear moral judgment. The exercise was the greatest gift I have ever received, and I am forever indebted to him for that, as well as his many other beautiful teaching moments.
We speak a language, with shared meanings and understood usages. However, the words themselves are our own. Everything we say is our unique expression of thoughts, with values assigned, and our audience hears not only these words, but the echoes of their own values within them.
Nothing I can say can change this. Yet, I want to discuss a word. A single beautiful word, and what it means to me. Because if you understand what this word means to me, then perhaps you can understand that much more about me, and hopefully discover something about yourself. That word–the greatest of words– is freedom. It is a word that possesses within it a rich history, mired in war and peace, in abuse and demagoguery. Yet, it may be the most important word we could ever utter.
I view the word freedom as a state of being. Imagine water. It can exist within a number of states: liquid, solid, and vapor. Yet, it is always water–always comprised of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen. Freedom is ubiquitous. It is everywhere; the only universal truth of our existence. Unchangeable. We are each born into a complete state of freedom. With the taking of our first breath, we do not only inhale the elements of our universe, but the mists of an undeniable force that nurtures and empowers us. You are man, and you are free.
But after the glorious first taste of God’s greatest creation, we are shackled. It is so unfair. Our access to our own freedom is sadly a matter of geographical consequence. An innocent born in the sands of Iran, or the mountains of the United States do not share equally in their freedom. This introduces the concepts of liberty and tyranny–words, symbols which represent to what degree we enjoy the one magnificent truth. I imagine liberty and tyranny as two opposing points on a continuum, which spans the infinity of freedom. Wherever you live, whichever state and in whatever capacity, dictates how free you truly are.
In this construct, freedom is eternal and an absolute condition of the human existence. However, other humans contain and control you–cutting you in varying degrees from the only thing you are given.
As in all things, characters–symbols–aid in understanding. Take the character of Evey in the film V for Vendetta and this bit of dialog:
V: Listen to me, Evey. This may be the most important moment of your life. Commit to it. They took your parents from you. They took your brother from you. They put you in a cell and took everything they could take except your life. And you believed that was all there was, didn’t you? The only thing you had left was your life, but it wasn’t, was it? You found something else. In that cell you found something that mattered more to you than life. It was when they threatened to kill you unless you gave them what they wanted… you told them you’d rather die. You faced your death, Evey. You were calm. You were still.
For those who have not seen the movie, you should immediately. Although this line was taken out of context, you do not need to have seen the rest to understand how this relates to our discussion. Evey, a woman who had lost everything dear to her at the hands of a tyrannical government, was willing to die because she found something greater than her own life. What she found was the freedom of individuality and existence. They put her in a cell and tortured her; they attempted to solicit her submission and coerce her conformity–and she refused. That is why freedom is the only universal truth; the ubiquitous and undeniable force of our humanity. Because no matter what they did to her, they could not take away her mind and her will. Yes, they contained and controlled her, but within her mind she was always free. Tyranny is a condition. Freedom is a truth. Conditions can change. Truth does not.
In the movie V also states that “fairness, justice, and freedom are more than words, they are perspectives.” Do not accept a degree of liberty or an expansion of tyranny as an uncontrollable force. Adjust your understanding; recreate your perspectives. You are free. You always have been. Let go of hate and attempt to love your fellow man. Because together you both breathed the same first wondrous breath, and together you were both enslaved.
Words are relative, but truth is not. Believe.
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