For a long time, I thought freedom was the ability to do whatever I wanted. This fueled my desire to have it all and do it all and not miss out on a thing.
If you break down that definition of freedom, there are two parts, the ability piece and whatever.
For the second part, there is much that I can’t do, for instance, go for coffee sans clothes. And about the ability, this talks about the power to take action, which always comes with responsibility.
As a white guy in the Chicago suburbs, my idea of freedom was permanently altered by my trips to Angola Prison in Lousiana. This place is scarred land. Before it was a prison, it was a slave plantation. Given that the vast majority of the inmate population is African American, it is clear the nothing has changed.
When I go to Angola Prison, they refer to me as one of the “free people.”
To me, it doesn’t fit. Many of the men there, mostly serving life without parole, are much more free than I. With most of their freedoms taken about, that live with poise and dignity and have a purpose that reaches beyond the prison walls.
They are helping me redefine freedom as the power to do what is good and right.
Freedom certainly comes with forgiveness. When the past unencumbers us, we feel the sense of lightness and joy of a burden lifted. The same goes for the future and living purposefully, not allowing unrealized dreams to erode our hope.
And is freedom just about enjoying the good life? What about the freedom to fully experience hardship? While it is not as much fun, trying to avoid pain is not freedom.
Freedom of expression is what I am looking to foster—the freedom to express what is on my heart, having clarity, and the words to describe it. I want the ability to communicate meaning to those that matter to me, to be sure they know how much they mean to me.