What is freedom and why is it important?

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.

Photo by LOGAN WEAVER | @LGNWVR on Unsplash

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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Why We Should All Be Interested in Politics

I have been on a very interesting journey throughout the past year. My outlook on politics, economics and social issues definitely reflect that. I have gone from being extremely enthusiastic about these topics, to paying absolutely no attention to them, back to showing interest again. In this post I will explain why that was, what I’ve learnt from it and try to answer if it is actually worth it, following politics and current affairs.

I personally started following politics when I was 16 years old. It was something that really sparked a fire inside me. I loved learning about different political ideologies, the economy, social issues and much more. I would watch youtube videos, read articles, and listen to debates. All things that would make my brain race a hundred miles an hour for quite some time after. After a while it became all-consuming. I literally could not stop thinking about certain issues and things I had seen or read. My brain had no peace, it was working twenty-four seven with no time for rest. Fast-forward about a year and a half later, I had decided it was time to change my tune.

Come the start of 2021, I was met with a cross-roads. 2020 had been the absolute climax when it came to politics. Covid first emerged and New Zealand had an election, The United States had an election, not to mention a plephera of societal issues that popped up during the year such as the BLM movement after George Floyd was murdered. If I was being honest though, I was tired of it all, burnt out of following politics. It felt like it was too mentally draining and too time consuming to have to follow all the time. I had left school and was working full time, so I didn’t really see the need in stressing out about it. Why get myself vented up over political issues when I could just be chilling and watching Anime! There were other things I wasn’t happy about too. I wanted to work on myself, build my confidence and explore different things. I couldn’t do that if I was consumed by social issues and current affairs all the time. So I didn’t follow, hear or talk about politics for well over half a year.

That 6 month period was extremely peaceful. I found out ignorance really was bliss. I had time to focus on myself and was at ease with life. I figured out there were a lot of pros to being disconnected from news and politics. I didn’t get frustrated over things that were way out of my control, I wasn’t angry or resentful. In fact, I had come to the conclusion that politics didn’t play a role in our lives at all. I was certain the world would be a better place if people stopped participating in our democracy, if we didn’t pay attention to any social, economic or political issues. I was soon to be corrected however. As soon as the first case of Delta was detected in New Zealand’s community, the whole country was plunged into a strict lockdown. It was a very frustrating time, especially for the South Island who had zero covid cases. Being an essential worker, I still had my regular work routine throughout the week, but come the weekend everything was shut down. To use a bit of hyperbole, it was like living in a dystopian nightmare. This made one thing very clear to me, that politics does indeed play a very big role in the daily lives of ordinary citizens, whether we like to admit it or not.

I gradually started immersing myself in current affairs and politics again. This time, however, I was coming at it from a completely different angle. I was at ease with life and happy with who I was as a person and who I was becoming. I had actual real world experience having been working full time and had a sense of how political/economic/social decisions actually impacted people and workers on the front line. I went about it the right way, never getting angry or tense about any issue, just understanding both sides and making my own mind up with the information at hand. If the opportunity ever presented itself I would engage in political discussion, but I never went out of my way to bring it up in normal every day conversations. I came to the conclusion that being interested in politics, social issues and current affairs can actually be very fulfilling, if done properly. It nurtures your intellect and adds another interesting dimension to life. This is why I truly believe everyone would be interested in current political and societal issues.

I completely understand why so many people are disinterested in following such a polarising and blood boiling thing. Why so many people feel like their voice doesn’t matter. Yet it one hundred percent does. As I figured out, you go through life thinking politics and politicians won’t affect you, until they do. Unfortunately most people act after the fact, when it’s too late and decisions and policies certain politicians have made are near irreversible. New Zealand is one of the fortunate countries in the world that actually is a liberal democracy. We must appreciate how lucky we are to live in such a prosperous society that gives people from all walks of life a voice and a say, in how we run the country. Everyone’s voice is important, each of us have our own life experiences, our own beliefs and ways of being which all benefit our society for the better. It is important these people make their voices heard and contribute to the amazing societal structure that is liberal democracy. If people refuse to participate in democracy or choose ignorance over being informed, all the power goes into the hands of the politicians. We can’t have that. Liberal democracy is a structure made by the people, for the people. Politicians must listen to us, not the other way around. Democracy yields the best results when people are fully engaged and participate avidly. When people are oblivious to what is going on, politics becomes a breeding ground for tyrannical politicians to emerge.

Overall, I truly feel like it is better to be informed about current affairs and politics than to be ignorant. This is within reason, however, don’t be the one person who ruins a family gathering by bringing politics up. Being informed benefits not only your own life and psyche, but also your country and therefore the world. I am not saying necessarily you need to become a politician, I couldn’t think of anything worse! Just make sure you participate in our democracy and make the decisions that are best for yourself and your community. I have been down two extremes when it comes to this stuff and I can confidently say you will thank yourself for choosing to be informed on these issues.

Why Extreme Polarisation is Crippling Society, and What We Can Do About It

If in recent times you have followed the news, listened to podcasts or observed any form of pop culture, you may be feeling extremely worried or confused about the current state of society. I share the same sentiments. It definitely feels as if the world is in turmoil. Day by day we are being sucked into a deeper and deeper hole. Full of hate, division, confusion, tyranny, greed, hopelessness and angst. When you are met with a problem in life, it is in your best interest to solve it before it becomes all-consuming. This is the current situation society faces today in the wake of an increasingly divided political climate and a global pandemic. The question is: How does society navigate through these treacherous waters?

Let us first address the chaotic political climate. In my opinion the problem of increasing division started with the sudden rise of the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump, in 2016. Donald Trump was the ultimate simplifier. Simplicity was his main appeal, as many average working class citizens could understand and relate to him. Where things got problematic was when Trump’s simplistic approach was utilised to popularise the ‘us vs them’ rhetoric. This is an extremely dangerous approach to take in politics. The proof is in the pudding. Go back to any time in history where this rhetoric was used and you see the absolute devastation it can cause. The Nazis, Maoist and the Soviot Union all have used this deadly (quite literally) rhetoric. Trump’s rhetoric slowly poisoned not only The United States, but countries all over the world throughout his 4 year reign.

It is human nature to combat hate with hate, no matter how many times we are told (and know) that an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. So inevitably, once republicans started using this simplistic ‘Us versus Them’ rhetoric to spread hate towards the other side of the aisle, the democrats were quick to stoop down to the level of their counterparts and combat it with their own ‘Us vs Them’ rhetoric. This pattern unfortunately infiltrated every western democracy, including New Zealand. This tribalistic mentality goes against everything democracy is about. If I could make one sure bet about politics, it would be that not one person shares the EXACT same thoughts, opinions and beliefs. Politics is too diverse and complex to be viewed as a black and white thing. Nobody in a civilised democracy should be put in a box, and absolutely no one should be judged by the actions of a few outliers. The consequence of all this has been we are now seeing unnecessary hate and division, with no real logic or reasoning behind it. It is truly crippling society to the core.

Then comes the pandemic. In my opinion Covid has added fuel to fire, sparking a global societal crisis that I would argue is worse than the pandemic itself. In theory, the pandemic should have unified everyone, brought us closer together and unified populations across the globe. Unfortunately, the complete opposite has happened, and is getting worse by the day. Politicians on all sides of the political spectrum, all over the world are responsible for creating arguably one of the worst and most toxic political climates ever seen. From the Right demonising those who actually follow health and safety protocols, and popularising countless conspiracy theories; to the tyrants on the Left invoking vaccine mandates, which are arguably the biggest infringement of personal liberty in the history of western democracy. All are to blame for the shipwreck we have at this moment in time. Covid should have never been politicised, it has funnily enough probably resulted in the pandemic raging longer, while the pillars of western democracy have been crushed in the process. The scars on civilization from this turbulent period will last much longer, and have more consequences than the pandemic itself. There is one common denominator throughout all of these points however, one entity that has enlarged this hate and division like no other, The media.

The media is the main perpetrator of the issues currently facing society. Over the past 6 years the media has relentlessly been divisive, misled and hateful. Gone are the days where journalism was about reporting the truth, and only the truth. The golden era of media where issues were discussed and debated civilly using a wide range of viewpoints is sadly non-existent. Media has unfortunately turned into an avenue for political loyalists (Left and Right) to further their agenda, spread misinformation and demonise their ‘foes’. The best examples are the two biggest mainstream news sources in the US: Fox News and CNN. Both of these entities are guilty of furthering the political divide, especially throughout the covid pandemic. Fox News for example has been extremely dismissive of covid vaccines, despite the science showing their effectiveness. Instead turning the issue into a political problem, The vaccine was only for those ‘communists’ on the left. CNN on the other hand, has repeatedly demonised people on the right who are rightfully against vaccine mandates, labeling them ‘anti-vaxxers’, ‘conspriracy theorist’ and even ‘Nazis’. As you can see, both media outlets are fueling extreme polarisation, which is deeply harming society. The media purposely spreads negativity to get more viewers, as according to what psychologists call the negativity bias, things of a more negative nature have more impact on one’s psychological state. This is all well and good for maximising profit, but it is wreaking havoc across the political landscape and in turn society itself. So what must society do in order to get itself out of this mess?

The world is currently in a very dire situation. If we all collectively fail to play our part then chaos and doom will be inevitable. We must hope that we can carefully manage to manoeuvre ourselves out of our current debacle. It is in our best interest to slowly navigate through this pandemic (which is in decline) without giving up our freedoms that our society has been built on. We must listen to the science and follow accordingly, without discriminating anyone for their personal choices along the way. We must hold the media accountable for their actions. We must only support the sources of news which tell the truth and share a wide range of viewpoints without bias, not ones that further an agenda. We must all do our part as individuals, be kind to one another, show compassion, never discriminate against someone for any reason, constantly challenge your beliefs and sympathise with those who think oppositely to you. We must slowly take small steps to make society and the world a better place. We must unify now more than ever, before it’s too late.