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More Words of Wisdom

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Freedom can be defined as “the right to choose and the power to be, act ,speak or think without externally imposed restraints.” It is the capacity for self-determination through individual free will. To be free is to be in possession of oneself. Freedom then, is the power, rooted in the will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one’s own responsibility.

By free will, one shapes one’s own life. Although freedom allows us to do some things, it more so allows us to be someone. Freedom enters into the very definition of what it means to be human. Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth; it attains its perfection when directed toward goodness and oriented toward God through grace. Freedom can never be conceived apart from grace, so grace is a prerequisite for freedom.

The question of free will, ranks as one of the most important questions of all time. It crosses the boundaries of ethics, theology, metaphysics, philosophy and psychology. On the one hand, does man possess genuine freedom as the power of real choice? Does he have the true ability to determine through the course of his thoughts and actions; the moulding of his own character and integrity? Or, on the other hand, are man’s thoughts and actions, as well as his resultant character and integrity, all merely the inevitable outcome of his circumstances? Is all of this predetermined in every detail by God, with man having no sort of real control over his destiny? This is the real question of free-will.

It is theology which studies the questions of the existence and nature of God, as well as His relations with man. In theology, it is believed that providence occurs at the intersection of human free-will and the omnipotence of God. This allows for our free-will to be really free in shaping our character and at the same time for God to be all powerful and in control of our destiny.

Only through the use of good judgment and reason can we know what freedom is and never mistake any form of slavery, no matter how subtle, for freedom, even slavery which takes the form of freedom and masquerades as freedom; therefore to understand what freedom is or is not requires prudence.

The freedom that so many of us now take for granted didn’t just come about because everybody agreed that it was a “great idea.” Freedom was fought for by previous generations that valued it greatly. We are a generation that has inherited it and become the custodians of freedom.

Our choices and the consequences of those choices will affect future generations to come. To defend freedom takes courage.

Freedom differs from both liberty (the power to do whatever one chooses) and license (irresponsible freedom). Freedom can only be defined in terms of the restrictions on freedom. The freedom for me to swing my arm in the air stops at my neighbors nose.

So, another one of the major questions concerning freedom is always: “At what point does my freedom impinge on another person’s freedom — and consequentially negate such freedom?” For freedom to benefit everyone, it requires justice.

God loves us unconditionally. Without love, there could be no freedom, and conversely without freedom there could be no love of God or any other.

Love would be reduced to manipulation and mechanical existence. Freedom gives us the will to love. Without our free will, we could not love.

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Free to Be by Michael Hickey

Free to be- Present to myself But limited Both from inside And outside Consciously and Unconsciously Situated in history In a world Mediated by meaning Awake and aware Choosing; deciding Who I shall become As a particular kind Of human being Orienting myself To the goodness Beyond myself Looking to The Eternal God For the grace to Shape my life with New self-consciousness Knowing that I am Alive by a principle Which transcends me Asking for the power To transform my will To grant conversion Direction, purpose And meaning As well as the Transcendent capacity To become other Than who I am In the present moment Am I who I am or Who I shall be?

I am the questioner and The one being questioned As I reflect on my freedom And experience it I hope that I will Act responsibly Accept the grace and Move in the direction Of love