Are We Really Free??
By aisuseijin
@aisuseijin (16)
Philippines
November 16, 2007 12:16am CST
Now I am taking Philo102 which talks about what makes man truly free.
To come to think of it are we really free? Is freedom really absolute?
Our teacher so far have discussed about things that limits our freedom they are as follows:1.physical limitation-limitation in our physical self that inhibits as from doing something.
For example, if a person is deaf he cannot make a career out of playing music, since music is made or learned first imitating the work of other musicians and this process of mimic requires our hearing to be functional.
another example, you cannot choose wether to be born as a male or a female.
2.psychological limitation-there are three types of psychological limitation.
a.fear-fear is a really a big factor for people which limits their freedom. A person who is afraid of blood certainly would not proceed to a medical course
b.anger-a person when angered can do things that they cannot control. Saying things which hurts other people uncautiously
c.desire-lets have an example to discuss this. A person who started smoking finds it hard to stop smoking which inhibits our freedom to to choose to stop smoking freely.
3.limitation of the situation- our freedom is limited in situations that we are in. for example, a student can not enrol in a prestigious school if his or her parents earns only enough money for supporting their family.
4.habits-habits are things that a person does all the time without noticing.
there is a saying that it is hard to break out of habit.
5.Fate-many people believes that our live are predecided for us. everything in lives is predestined.
6.Motives-motivations such as rewards and threats can take away our freedom.
we are free to do anything we want and so are other people that makes freedom not absolute. Their is always a conflict of freedom amongst people. Every choice we make has its own consequences. Our destiny is the sum of choices we make and made.
2 people like this
7 responses
@amerei (9)
• Philippines
19 Nov 07
seriously now, have you ever even wondered why questions like these have remained unanswered ever since some greek guy from way back asked them?
2 things:
1, freedom is rather relative. ask a priest and he'll tell you something related to god... ask a convict and he'll count the story of his incarceration... ask a philosopher, and he'll contradict even his own argument. ask a hundred different people and you'll get a hundred different answer...
2, philosophers are smooth talking perverts trying to sound intelligent when they're not.
now, back to the topic at hand, are we free? i don't know.. but my advice to you is, come up with an original answer.
1 person likes this
@aisuseijin (16)
• Philippines
20 Nov 07
for me being free is just something man strives for in to gain in times of difficulties and trials as if they want an easy way out.
Like here in our country the philippines. Many revolutions have passed with one thing to attain freedom to be free. but revolutions after revolutions many bloods were shed but are we free from what we fought we are still being oppressed. In many ways we are not free. we are not free of tax where we don't reap what we worked hard for.
For me freedom is just a state of mind. an illusion that many wants to have and since it is not real, in this world maybe, how can they gain or be rewarded of something that is not really there.
@signorpetho (379)
• Indonesia
5 Dec 07
U agree with amerei.
this guy talk about freedom. but he absolutely not give people freedom to give their opinion...
@Monkeyrose (2840)
• Canada
16 Nov 07
we are free if we want to be free.All reality is realitive and depends on the person. If I perceive I am free then I am. I feel free because I just quit a terrible job I've had for 7 years. But I don't really feel fully free because I have huge debt which tie me down.
@aisuseijin (16)
• Philippines
19 Nov 07
that is good news that finaly you quit your job after 7 years. What was your job like? how come it took you 7 years to realize that??
Yes we are free but not absolutely free. Can you choose to be free of debt right now?? the answer is still now, under the limitations of the situation. you are in a situation where your financial status is below 0 which means you are spending more than what you earn. You are still not "absolutely" free due to the limitations that are present. thanks for the post
1 person likes this
@Monkeyrose (2840)
• Canada
19 Nov 07
Well my job was my first job I got in high school. It was part-time and I worked there through college as well. Then I dropped out of college and worked there full-time. I decided to go into management. That didn't work out so I had just been working there as a Grocery Clerk.
Basically The person they replaced me with as a Management Trainee Was a Recovering coke addict who started doing coke again. Sometimes she was high when she went to work. She would do crazy things like there was smoke in the store so she got everyone out. Then she decided to go look for the fire. She went up in the attic and climbed up on the roof and was running around on the roof when the firemen showed up. She slept with two employees. She played mind games and came between my friends.
I was concerned about her so I told another manager. He told her what I had said and so she ignored me for two weeks. I would say hi to her and she would turn around and walk the other way.
ANyways, my main boss is cheap and only cares about himself. The store is in shambles and there is a everybody for themselves atmosphere at the store.
I hurt my back and cannot do the physical labour anymore... I just couldn't take it anymore.
I worked at the Grocery store Safeway
1 person likes this
@coolcager (496)
• Costa Rica
17 Nov 07
Yes we are free. Free in what we want to do in our life and everything. But not truly free as there are still limitations in everything we do . But still we are really free well not in all aspects.
@aisuseijin (16)
• Philippines
19 Nov 07
thank you for posting. ^,^ yes we are free only in some aspects but even in those aspects we are not totally free. yes we maybe free to do as we wish but we are not free of what may be the result of our actions. Godbless
@aisuseijin (16)
• Philippines
19 Nov 07
thanks for the post... i would just like to comment on that. not all cases that you want to be free that you can be free. For example a person is blamed to have murdered someone and he was sentenced eventhough he was innocent... He can't get out of jail simply because he wants to. In someways for me choices are there just for us to feel like to be free but we are not really free.
@paulit03 (93)
• Philippines
16 Nov 07
for me, there are things that i am free and there are these things that i am not free. so right now im really confused of it. things that i am free in a way i can choose the things that i want to do and wanted to be. like for example a man will give a million dollars just to kiss a woman. well i have a choice if im going to kiss her or not right? even though there are reward or anything. i am free to choose of what i'm going to do. by not being free as what mister furion had said he can't choose to be a woman. but there is thing that even though he can't be a woman but he can pretent to be one. right? and there are transplant for a guy or a girl wanted to ba a woman or a man. as far i know in this world i am free.
@aisuseijin (16)
• Philippines
19 Nov 07
i think you've got a point. but are we really free?? before you were born were you given the choice to be a girl or a boy. and speaking of your example i would just like to comment what our professor had said that every man has its own price. i totally disagree to that because not all man can be bought. man and woman are given choices but not all choices are given to us without consequence. if we are free there would be no such consequence right?? thanks for posting
Godbless..
@furion1 (272)
• Philippines
16 Nov 07
I think we are not free because of those limitations. Obviously, I cannot be a girl even when I want to. Putting those aside, I think we have freedom in our choices. We are free in choosing and deciding which path to take or what to do. Motives do not control our freedom. They just influences our other choices. For example, a guy wants to sleep but he needs to study. He has two choices and has to choose one from them. Most probably, he will sleep because he wants to but what if his mother promised him a reward if he study. Then, now he might choose to study but he still has the choice to decline and just sleep.
@aisuseijin (16)
• Philippines
19 Nov 07
I think now a days it is possible for a boy to become a girl their is one time i saw in a television broadcast a gay who was sponsored by a japanese. He became a she and she's kinda cute the only thing that is hindering his total conversion to become a girl is that the state(the philippines) does not allow him to change his birth certificate.
@signorpetho (379)
• Indonesia
5 Dec 07
Okay...
Freedom is relative. even there is an absolute freedom, there will still be relative. because MEN HAVE THEIR OWN THOUGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING even when they agree to have some same opinions.
so, absolute freedom will be relative-absolute-freedom. huahuahahaha...
there is FREEDOM in this world. many people have found it (including people that respond your post). Try to find your freedom,dude.
And about your country, it's not about freedom, it's about system, culture, corrupt, heart of the people itself, and many factor. Don't blame your country that you don't have your freedom. There are so many countries are in trouble worse than yours. believe me.
