What is freedom?

by | May 29, 2020 | 0 comments

“Irvin Yalom (1980) “freedom: the responsibility and freedom to make our lives as we will, to be the sole authors of our lives, thus leaving us groundless with no one to determine our destiny but ourselves”

I believe the framework of “Freedom” being one of the four existential concerns of human existence is a good place to start. 

Freedom in the context of Yalom’s definition may ultimately drive an individual toward existential isolation. Overall freedom is having the ability to be the director of our own lives and not be burdened by responsibilities, which dictate the actions we take in life. Typically people may have freedom from various aspects of their life. For example a lottery winner who quits their job may have financial freedom, but  family responsibilities remain and as such they lack freedom from family. I don’t know if total freedom ever exists. With freedom from most conceivable factors in life we are, as Yalom states, left with ‘no one to determine or destiny but ourselves.’ I actually don’t know if the average person could handle being truly responsible for and therefore held accountable for each and every decision / action in their life. Which makes me think that perhaps a form of freedom is taking responsibility for your actions and holding yourself accountable, regardless of the outcome.  
This approach would allow you to still live a grounded, socially connected life (free from isolation) while having a sense of freedom. Knowing that your choices and the outcome were ultimately under your control.  
As Viktor E. Frankl says: ‘Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

Yalom
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5553124/

Frankl
https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/2782.Viktor_E_Frankl

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