Scrolling through twitter throughout the past day, I can’t help but notice the amount of political tweets out there regarding freedom. It got me thinking: What is freedom? And why is it important? I know I’m not the only one who wants to know this. Below I will share my findings in an easy and readable format.
Freedom is the idea that citizens of a democracy are free from any oppression or coercion from the state. Freedom is important as it gives more power and opportunities to the individual, whilst disallowing the state to interfere with their lives. If implemented correctly, freedom always leads to a happier and more prosperous society in the long run.
Why is freedom so popular?
Freedom is an extremely popular political idea, and has been for centuries. The main reason it is so popular is because it gives you the individual more rights and opportunities. It gives you choices and gives you the power to shape your own destiny. It gives you independence, and does not make you dependent on the state.
Freedom is so popular because it is deeply rooted in human biology and evolution. When it comes to living one’s life, not one size fits all. Everyone has their own thoughts, opinions, values, beliefs and ways of being which all shape who they are as people. Freedom allows for people to explore these sides of themselves and become the best versions of themselves that they can be. This in turn makes society itself better, as each individual is harmoniously improving in their own ways. This would not be possible if freedom as a political idea didn’t exist, which would go against one of the most fundamental traits of being human.
It is for these reasons why freedom is such a popular and adopted political idea. The alternatives to freedom are less popular as it suppresses the desires of the individual. The individual almost always has a better idea of how to run their own lives than the state.
The Three pillars of freedom
There are 3 main pillars which are fundamental to bringing the political idea of freedom into tuition. These are freedom of speech, freedom of opportunity and freedom of choice. Each will be broken down below.
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is arguably the most fundamental element of a free and democratic society. It is a term that has been used increasingly frequently in political discourse throughout history. Essentially freedom of speech decrees that the individual allows the individual to articulate ideas and speak without fear of any censorship by the state. Apart from incitement to violence, it means individuals can say whatever they want with no consequences imposed by the government. This is an important element of freedom as it sparks discourse and debate which in turn leads to better ideas, people and a more prosperous society. As soon as speech starts being censored, individuals are no longer free to speak what they believe in, which leads to the gradual decline of freedom within a society.
Freedom of opportunity
Freedom of opportunity means that all individuals have the same opportunities, regardless of their gender, race, age, sexuality, religion and more. This is an important one as a truly free society allows for all citizens opportunities to better themselves. If the state prevents a certain group from fully participating in society, or gives special privileges to other groups, then it is not truly a free society. All individuals should have the same rights and opportunities regardless of their differences. They should be free to express themselves without fear of the state punishing them. Every citizen should have the same opportunity to succeed despite class and social status. A free society is one where equality of opportunity is practised.
Freedom of choice
Freedom of choice relates directly to freedom of opportunity. It essentially means that when faced with two options, the individual has the freedom to choose either one without any constraint from the state.
Freedom of choice is important as it gives the individual control over their own lives. They aren’t tied down to one way of doing things. They can choose what is best for them without being forced to do anything by the state. The individual always knows what is best for them, so this is a crucial pillar of maintaining a free society.
The top 5 benefits of freedom
The top 5 benefits of freedom are:
- More diversity
- More prosperity
- More emphasis on the individual
- Less centralisation
- Less corruption
Essentially, freedom gives more power to you, the individual. It means there is less centralisation, which helps prevent any corruption. In the long term, this leads to a more prosperous society with more diversity.
There is a direct correlation with the success of a given society in regards to the amount of freedom its citizens have. The more free a society is, the more productive its economy is. This in turn leads to higher standards of living, higher amounts of happiness, less mental illness, better healthcare, better life expectancy and better education just to name a few. This shows how freedom benefits a society and why it is so important.
Summary
Freedom is the political theory that citizens are free from any oppression and coercion from the state. It puts more emphasis on you, the individual, rather than a powerful centralised entity. It is a popular idea because not only does it offer huge benefits to society such as individualism, diversity, economic prosperity and happiness. It is also deeply rooted in human nature, so it comes naturally to us.
The three pillars of freedom are freedom of speech, freedom of opportunity and freedom of choice. All 3 pillars give more power to the individual. If any one of these pillars are non-existent within a society, it is very likely that society is not a free one.
The top 5 benefits of freedom are more diversity, more prosperity, more emphasis on the individual, less centralisation and Less corruption. All 5 benefits lead to a more happy, healthy and prosperous society.
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Liberal Kiwi 
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