500+ Words Essay on Freedom
“The best road to progress is freedom’s road.”~John F. Kennedy
We have all been familiarized with the term freedom. But have you ever wondered what the word means? People all around the world have different opinions for freedom. Their thoughts and ideas of expression vary while defining it.
To some of them, freedom means the right to speak anything without having a fear of being harmed. Some talk about the political and social aspects of freedom. And some think freedom is the liberty of doing whatever pleases you.
What is Freedom?
Freedom is the right we inherit since the day we are born. It is an abstract quality which every individual wants to possess. The concept of freedom is quite vast. A simple definition of it mentions that it is a state of being independent. Being free means a person can make his/her own decisions without any consequences from society.
How can we be free? The answer to this is simple: by letting others live freely. Our history is evidence of this fact. A classic example is a western civilization. It occupied poor nations and deprived them of basic rights of freedom. Over time, these nations fought persistently to restore their autonomy.
Taking away someone’s freedom is the worst possible way of punishment. We have been blessed with this inherent quality. Freedom enables us to enjoy a happy and peaceful life. Therefore, we must maintain its essence.
Can Freedom be absolute?
Freedom implies being respectful and useful for our society. It is not an absolute right. It has some restrictions on it. For example, social security is equally as important as freedom. We cannot practice freedom by risking our nation’s security.
Let us consider a conversation. Two men were sitting next to each other. One of them lifted his hand and touched the second man’s nose. When the second man complained, the first said ‘I am free to do so”. To that, the infuriated second man replied,” Your freedom ends where mine begins”.
This is so true. All of us have our perceptions of enjoying freedom. But we cannot murder, smuggle drugs, or indulge in other crimes for the sake of our freedom. Thus, it is necessary to supervise our actions before our society gets destroyed.
Types of Freedom
We can divide freedom into various types. Here we have mentioned a few of those:
Freedom of Choice: All individuals have the right to make their own choices and decisions. They can regulate their private life. And they are responsible for the consequences of these choices.
Physical Freedom: This implies to our fundamental rights. No one can be held against their will. This excludes cases like children being kept at home for their safety.
Mental Freedom: This refers to the detachment of external labels and making one’s resolution. This resolution enables you to improve your life. It encourages you to reach the highest potential.
Freedom of Citizenship: It allows you to access various citizenship rights in your country. These include your right to vote during the elections. It also enables you to run as an elected candidate for a governmental position.
Emotional Freedom: A person has the right to freely express their emotions. Some societies discourage this emotional freedom. This is because they want us to appear civilised. However, suppressing our feelings might be bad for our mental health.
Personal Rights: These are a group of rights that belong to every human, regardless of his status, caste, or gender. They include the right to privacy, right to property, right to life, freedom of movement, etc.
Freedom of Religion: This enables us to follow the religion of our preference. At any point in life, we can change it freely. No one has the liability to restrict us from following a particular path. Of course, children are exceptions to it. And their decisions are made by their parents. However, when they come of legal age, they have the free will to go against their parent’s choice of religion.
Freedom of Expression: In this, a human has the freedom to express his/her opinion in whatever form he/she chooses to. Most of the democratic nations have made it available to their people. However, in some cases (like dictatorship), it might be restricted.
Freedom to Exist: Most of us have our free will to decide the environment we want to live in. This might be a concern for some particular cases. For example, mentally ill patients and convicted criminals pose a threat to our society. Therefore, this freedom is taken away from them.
India’s History of Freedom
For a long time, India was clutched under the rule of British officials. Our history of freedom was a battle that was fought with persistence and devotion. During this long fight, many of our country’s citizens lost their lives. It is because of their sacrifice that we are a free country today.
During the days of struggle, India had drafted a constitution. This constitution consisted of several fundamental rights. These rights applied to all of us and were to be implemented without any discrimination. Some of the most important ones were the right to equality and the right to education.
Socio-economic and cultural rights were also part of this constitution. Post-independence, India became one of those nations that gave these rights of freedom to its citizens. This is what made India the world’s largest democratic nation.
Value of Freedom
People have always wanted to be free. So what about freedom makes it so valuable? Why do we need it? Freedom links us to contentment. The real value of freedom can only be appreciated by a person who has fought for it.
Only when you are deprived of freedom, you realize its importance. Freedom liberates you from the forms of injustice (racism, ethnic hatred, discrimination). We can enjoy our freedom but not at the cost of violating others.
Conclusion
Freedom is a broad psychological concept. And people have diversified views of it. The more freedom we have, the more responsible we become. No one has the authority to violate our rights.
That being said, we must be careful how we utilize these rights. Sticking to this notion, we must all learn to respect each other. That way, we will be able to enjoy our freedom for the rest of our lives.
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