Freedom is the condition where you are not bound by something you dislike or that is not conducive to your welfare. If you're no longer detained, you're free; if you're no longer in a suffocating environment, you're free; if you're oppressed, you're free. Sometimes, a force will intervene for you, like when the Apostle Paul was in prison and an earthquake struck which freed him (see Acts 16). But it's not always the case.
Freedom is a central theme in Christianity: sin binds humankind to condemnation, Jesus Christ is the liberator, and freedom is guaranteed through Christ. "...The truth will set you free" (John 8:32); "...where the Spirit of Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:17). God will save and free the humankind from sin and its repercussion (death), and this is a promise that gives hope, but even in Christianity where "only Jesus saves", salvation has a prerequisite coming from the one to be saved: in Evangelical circles, one has to "accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour". Take note of the term accept-- this implies decision and freewill. A similar notion is that God is a prayer away, and all you need to do is to pray; another is one of the most known verses: "he who believes in him shall... have eternal life" (John 3:16)-- one needs to believe, and it is up to the person to believe. In liberation, you will do the first step; you are the first step.
A friend of mine was wishing to resign from his job. He seemed to be dissatisfied with his work and his employer, so he was looking for job openings. He found one that fits his wants, one which his skills fit the requirements. He shouted in excitement, as if he was issued a job order, but he was preoccupied, afraid to click the apply button, reminiscing about the moments during his work.
I mean, how can you get out of your situation if you are not determined to move? How can you be freed from what bothers you? The job opening was an opportunity to leave the current conditions, and as a job opening, it closes. Determination comes from the self, and freeing yourself requires your own effort. Again, you are the first step to liberation.
Many peoples fall into lies and abandon truth; they become slaves to lies. in a corrupted society, living in the truth starts from few individuals. I understand the illusion of enlightened people being many in such societies, because we put hopes that they will be liberated. But we also have to understand that they can also be the minority. Elections can be a determinant, like in Singapore, El Salvador, Rwanda, the Philippines and India: those living in the truth do not belong to the majority of the populaces. In Russia, even if the elections are obviously rigged and the regime easily defeats its opposition, resistance to Vladimir Putin fails to generate enough power to mobilise the entire nation. Sacrifices for freedom might help, like those of Boris Nemtsov and Alexei Navalny.
Or maybe external interventions will, but will these fully liberate peoples? The most know modern military interventions yielded poor results-- Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya-- as these only ousted tyrants but kept these countries in dire states. These scenarios however fail to dissuade me from supporting interventions, but such actions require consent or demand from affected peoples and the formulation of comprehensive plans by parties who wish to get involved. The consent/demand from affected peoples imply, again, their decision and desire for freedom.
Shall I then say that if an individual refuses freedom or is satisfied with the current conditions, we should leave him/her be? No human is an island; we will all be affected by any oppression, as "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere". The tyrannical terror of the superpower spreads beyond borders, that's why a revolution inside countries like Russia or China will be highly appreciated. These will promote global stability and security, and freedom, justice and sustainable peace will be upheld.
It is up to the bound person to realise the value of freedom and to live in the truth. Enlightenment and determination will come from the bound person, and the person shall have these. It will come from you, and you shall have these. For you are the first step to liberation.
Article posted on 01 March 2024, 05:00 (UTC +08:00).
No comments:
Post a Comment