The Polysemy of the Term 'Freedom'

The desire for freedom probably belongs to one of humanity's basic needs. In most cases, it is guaranteed through the observance of certain rights and norms. Nevertheless, the question of what freedom actually means plays an incredibly small role in our everyday lives. When I meet with the Sprachrohr group, I don't think about the fact that I'm exercising my right to free assembly. When I dream of becoming a journalist one day, I don't think about the fact that this wish is part of free choice of profession. When I think about who I am and how I present myself to the outside world, I don't think about the fact that I can only do this because I enjoy the right to life and physical integrity, as well as the right to freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, freedom of art and many more. All these rights and freedoms are united and enshrined in our Basic Law. So we have universally valid rights and freedoms that make life possible for us in the first place.

Now the question arises for me: Is freedom such a universal topic? Does freedom mean the same thing for everyone? After all, it is about the freedom of the individual, isn't it? I alone could never answer these questions. Even the dictionary doesn't give me a remotely satisfactory answer. That's why I asked people from my circle for their opinion. In doing so, I focus on three questions in my observation:

What does freedom mean to you?
How do you live out your understanding of freedom?
Do you sometimes feel restricted in your freedom? If so, would you like to tell me why?

I am amazed at how much enthusiasm the people surveyed bring to this topic. But their answers inspire me even more:

"Freedom means to me, first and foremost, being able to do and achieve what you really want. This ranges from major opportunities that affect your entire life, such as pursuing your dream career, to meeting friends in a beer garden. In doing so, you have to weigh up what you really want. And accordingly, you give up something smaller for the bigger goal. Which is why I think freedom and sacrifice go hand in hand. To achieve your goals, it's important that you can somehow overcome the obstacles that are put in your way. If that's the case, then I'd say you're pretty free." – Anna

"Freedom means to me that I don't make my feelings, my decisions and above all my happiness dependent on other people. Because as long as I don't hurt or restrict anyone with my way of life, I can act freely. Especially freely from the criticism of others! Not everyone can agree with what I do, but everyone can accept it" – Laura

Some of my work colleagues have also given thought to the topic:

"Freedom means to me being able to do and not do what I want, when I want it and how I want it, as long as I don't restrict the freedom of others with this action. Because my freedom ends where that of others begins. It means to me living the way I want to, without having to justify myself to the people around me or even to society. Freedom means listening to my heart and not always overthinking everything. It therefore also means standing by yourself in a certain way." – Dani

"Freedom means to me being without worries, not thinking, simply being and living." – Maddis

"The ability to think what you want and the ability to do what you want. Of course with the awareness that freedom is always bound to morality." – Sko

My flatmate's answer (amusingly) sums up the individual answers to the second question, about living out freedoms, quite well:

"I have the freedom of choice to do what I feel like. I dress the way I want, have the privilege of living my studies and holidays without major restrictions and have few expectations from others that I have to fulfil." – Linda

My father takes a somewhat different direction. He combines the first two questions with the following statement:

"For me, freedom is being able to develop freely within the framework of valid social norms and rules. This includes, for example, free choice of profession, freedom of expression, freedom of movement and much more. Of course, the prerequisite for this is to recognise and live by the liberal democratic constitutional order. Well aware that my freedom always ends where the freedom of my neighbours (also in the Christian sense) begins. Unrestricted freedom leads to anarchy and thus loses its intended meaning. If one were to ask the same question to someone who grew up in a totalitarian system, the answer would look completely different."

I find the answers of a Salesian of Don Bosco particularly interesting, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in Ghana some time ago. He writes:

"Freedom is for me a complex state that is never the same, but in which I have (become) a subject, i.e. I can and must take responsibility for myself. I try to live this by dedicating my life to the wellbeing of young people."

If you ask me, there's nothing more to add to that. However, it becomes interesting when you look at the last question. I am aware that this strongly targets the individual restrictions of certain freedoms. That's exactly why I would like to keep the following answers anonymous. I'll repeat the question in case it's been forgotten in all the freedom:

Do you sometimes feel restricted in your freedom? If so, would you like to tell me why?

"Yes. But I also think that's part of freedom and has to be accepted in order to be free, just like sacrifice. I feel restricted in my freedom as soon as I'm ill, and my body says: 'You can't do what you want.' and you can't do anything about that at first. So I have to accept that and can only wait until it gets better or the medication works. Many people probably feel restricted by the current Corona rules, I do too. Meeting friends in a beer garden becomes difficult. Nevertheless, I believe the restriction is an important measure to be free again in the future, because I protect myself and others from a disease that can restrict individual freedoms in the long term."

"Yes, unfortunately. Less from the state and from laws, but from people who want to impose their views on you."

"What I think restricts me most in my life is the factor of money. Due to the circumstances I come from, I'm used to getting by with not much money and would definitely say that money means nothing to me, but unfortunately you can't live without it. Usually it fails due to financial means. I would like to travel more and see more of the world, which is difficult when you're just barely covering your living expenses. I also couldn't pursue various interests because of this. I also have the feeling that I sometimes restrict myself in my freedom. I would like to be someone who doesn't care what others think of me, but that rarely works. I often catch myself thinking too much about how I look before I leave the house and what people would think of my outfit, and I'm sometimes very reserved out of fear of making a bad impression. But that's fortunately something you can work on!"

"Fortunately not often, because my parents let me do everything the way I want to."

"Noooo, I don't think so."

"Actually not at all. Neither through Corona measures nor through any other laws that are passed. Because even the measures we've been living under for 1.5 years now are for the protection of everyone. Making sacrifices to enable others to live their lives is, in my view, the least one can expect from one another in a society. I'm well aware that there are people who feel restricted in their rights, for example through discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, etc., but personally I'm a big fan of our Basic Law, which actually doesn't allow any discrimination if you recognise it literally. Because the dignity of every human being is inviolable. No exceptions should be made here."

"I encounter restrictions in my life constantly. But I don't feel restricted in my freedom because of them. Rather, I recognise that these restrictions often enable and promote my freedom."

Quite a lot of input, isn't it?
I'll try to summarise nonetheless: Freedom is indeed a universal topic, even though everyone ascribes an individual meaning and function to the term. However, what matters is what system you find yourself in and whether, despite different interpretations of the term, there is a basic consensus. In this case, it is as follows: My individual freedom ends where that of other people begins. It must not be forgotten that freedoms can be conditionally restricted. Whether through a pandemic, financial circumstances or simply the stupidity of others who don't adhere to valid rights and norms. Nevertheless, we must not forget that we are all equal before the law. We are all human beings whose dignity is inviolable. We have the chance to develop ourselves. We are free – whatever that may mean.

In this spirit, I would like to thank all those who helped shape this article. You
have inspired me and made me a little bit freer.