Essay On Cost Of Freedom

As human beings, we endure each and every day, a constant fight for freedom. Liberty is described as ‘’the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint’’ (Dictionary.com). Relevant examples are found throughout history of the restraints of rights and the ever constant search for true freedom. Perhaps the most atrocious removal can be seen in the Second World War; Legal and fundamental rights were taken away at this time without thought or conscience. Other examples include the segregation of the blacks and white in South Africa during the Apartheid Era, the Vietnam War, and more recently the War on Terrorism (Al-Qaeda). However, these examples can also be seen as unconscious means of evolving society to

Our environment confines us as well, the dictations of society our ball and chain. From our very birth, we are taught to act a certain way and to do certain things. Gender roles, among others, are defined strictly and clearly from the very beginning. Even worse, they lead people to believe that we are required to conform to the rules of society. Notably, Christopher Gardner says it best in the movie The Pursuit of Happyness: ‘’ Hey. Don't ever let somebody tell you... You can't do something. Not even me. All right? You got a dream... You gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period.’’ (Conrad 1). It takes a lot of courage to decide that nobody dictates who you are and who you want to be. There is a safety in being a part of a community. However, conforming completely overtakes our freedom. President John F. Kennedy said ‘’Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth’’. Standing apart is the true challenge human beings must face. The mental barriers’ and the limits that you and others place on each other are the jailers to freedom. Tossing out those barriers and choosing to be your own self is the most difficult trial. But if we realise the goal of personal acceptance, then the sky is the

It is society’s belief that for liberty to be attained there must be restraints. Autonomy is valued and rare, and we deem that some must have less freedom for others to have more. On the contrary, Nelson Mandela, famed South African politician, stated, “For freedom is not merely to cast of one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances freedom for others.”(Mandela 1). We are each and every one of us capable of making a difference in others’ lives. The placating “rights” that society gives us should no longer satisfy. Every individuals needs, rather than a minorities wants should be a priority. Additionally, physical and mental barriers must no longer contain us. Ronald Reagan thought that, “freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” (Reagan 1). The beauty in being human is that we always have a choice. There is nothing we can’t do, once we realise the power of a decision. Whether true freedom really exists or not, whether there are real or imagined barriers, the power of choice is the key to finally solving the question of freedom. It can then be ascertained that freewill belongs to the individual and can mean whatever brings them the most