What is Freedom?
(This is a follow up to what is hell)
Freedom is not simply being able to do whatever the hell you want, whenever you want, however you feel without consequences.
Constraints and restrictions on your freedom to do whatever you want often result in more freedom because it protects you from the stupidity of others.
Huh?
It's like driving a car, with the rules of the road I can easily drive from New England to California at night without getting myself killed.
If everyone had the freedom to do whatever they want then you wouldn't have a functioning transportation system. Maniacs would drive 150 miles an hour, people would drive on whatever side of the road they felt like.
Driving would become impossible without rules and enforcement of those rules through constraints and cooperation.
Because of these rules and constraints you actually have more freedom to move about about as you please.
Freedom is not the absence of rules and constrains.
On the contrary, it's obtained through cooperation of set rules. The freedom to accept mutually accepted rules and constrains.
All areas are like this honestly.
If you want a fit body, you must constrain yourself through self-discipline.
If you want a clear mind, you must constrain yourself through self-development, study and abstaining from (or doing in moderation) your vices.
If you want a life full of love, you must constrain your nature (men wanting a lot, women thinking they can do better) to the confines of a relationship.
Finally, if you want a prosperous, peaceful world; private property in all senses of the word from your body, to what you buy and own must be respected.
"Nature to be commanded, must be obeyed"
Francis Bacon said it best: “nature to be commanded, must be obeyed.”
It's paradoxical, but if want to build a vehicle that can fly in the sky or sail across the oceans or race over the land, you must learn and adhere to the laws of physics.
This applies as much to the natural world and engineering technology as it does to human nature and engineering your own personal growth and success.
Freedom is not being able to do whatever the hell you want, whenever you want.
It's the ability to live, act, love and pursue goals in a way that is sustainable and respectful of others' similar abilities.
Rules are not the enemy of freedom; they're often what make a free society functional and expansive rather than a short, brutal free-for-all.
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