By Barnes L Mawrie
Freedom is desirable and basic to human existence. Without freedom man can only exist on the fringes of well-being. Freedom is universally accepted as a fundamental right of man. It is so instinctive to the human person that whenever freedom is curtailed or controlled, people have risen in revolt. So many wars of independence have been fought in the past with the sole motive of gaining freedom. The Arab Spring is the most recent example of freedom struggle. What is going on in some autocratic states today like Syria, Iran or China-occupied Tibet, are further examples of how people resent it when their basic freedom is in jeopardy.
Freedom however is a double edged sword that needs to be cautiously used. The popular saying that “freedom ends where the other man’s nose begins” is a constant reminder that freedom has its limits. In other words, freedom has to be exercised responsibly. Freedom and responsibility go hand in hand. One cannot exist without the other just like the two sides of a coin. When freedom is exercised without responsibility then it degenerates into a sinful act. Pope Benedict XVI in his recent encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Charity in truth), has rightly pointed out that human freedom, because it is imperfect and it is under the influence of sin, can never lead us to right action unless it is guided by an adequate sense of responsibility and solidarity which comes from a moral conscience which is God’s gift. Many people today mistake freedom for license. Freedom has a moral implication because it has both a personal and social dimension. Often people forget the social dimension of freedom and thereby they infringe upon other’s rightful territories. For example, a country has the freedom to frame its own economic policies, but it could happen (as it always happens) that such policies become a death-trap for poorer nations. Therefore such exercise of freedom is highly unethical. Hence human freedom must always be tempered by sound moral principles.
One fundamental truth that human beings should understand is that “we cannot be free from God’s control; neither should we strive to do so”. The Bible says “only a fool says there is no God” or acts likewise. Modern society with its incredible technological revolution and scientific discoveries gradually tends to deify man. With the emerging progress in medical sciences, people are talking in terms of cloning human beings or manufacturing human spare parts through stem cell technology. The Promethean syndrome is fast emerging in human society. The desire to be independent from God or to be self reliant or be god himself is being expressed either directly or indirectly. Many people even look at God as an intruder into their personal or social life. Such a psycho-religious derangement is evident in people’s attitude towards sacred things, sacred persons and sacred institutions. What we need to understand is that no matter how intelligent or how rich we may be, we still need God. As Pope Benedict XVI has pointed out “when God disappears, men and women do not become greater; indeed they lose the divine dignity, their faces lose God’s splendour. In the end they turn out to be merely products of a blind evolution and as such, can be used and abused. This is precisely what the experience of our epoch has confirmed for us.” Therefore he who thinks that he can be happy or contented without God is actually living in a utopian existence or in self deception. In fact, true freedom is exercised in co-responsibility with God who is the source of human freedom.
Secondly, we have to understand that true freedom cannot be exercised without respect and a sense of responsibility towards the other. Looking at our country today, we see a sudden spurt of freedom in the form of free expression of ideologies or practices. The Jan Lokpal Movement spearheaded by Anna Hazare is one example where freedom of expression is exercised at a national level. In itself this is commendable, but as of now it appears like the enforcement of the ideology of one particular group without any room for dialogue and mutual understanding with the other. This is a clear example of a freedom exercised without a sense of responsibility. Another example of this is the present logjam on the FDI issue. I am not taking sides with any group, but this political impasse has been created because both parties are adamant on their ideological stand. While exercising their freedom of expression, they have failed to dialogue with each other and sort out their differences to come to a mutual understanding. This is a clear case of freedom without responsibility. It looks as if the opposition is opposing the bill just for political mileage and not for a long term well being of the nation. If they really felt responsible to the nation, they would not have wasted time on endless wrangling which is costing the national exchequer dearly.
Even in our city we witness from time to time, such expressions of irresponsible freedom. The youth are a section of society most influenced by this sort of negative freedom. How many youth still adhere to their parents’ advice or their elders’ counsel? The so called “culture of freedom” seems to have mesmerized them to a point of no return. Today even school children are prone to anti-social behaviour and they do all that in the name of “freedom”. When elders point out their mistakes they respond with an indifferent attitude if not insults. When freedom is exercised without limit or control all we can expect is chaos. If there is chaos within a family or in society at large, blame it on the culture of freedom sans limit. It is here that concerned authorities – government, religions, parents and elders – should come together to sort out solutions to the problems that threaten the survival of our society. In this regard, I support the government’s move to control social websites because it is the internet that is hugely responsible for mis-educating our youth on the exercise of their freedom. Of course, no one denies the benefits of internet, but there are contents that are highly derogatory or inflammatory which mislead the youth into anti-social or anti-religious attitudes and behaviours.
I believe education, be it at home or in schools and colleges, is the best and most effective approach to educating people towards “responsible freedom”. Our youth in particular deserve special attention in this matter. If our youth today are not capable of exercising their freedom with responsibility, how do we expect the future of our country to be bright?