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6 I The Best Online Education System in the world
Freedom in Today’s society
Joseph Arre
Class of 2008, University of Baguio,
B.S in Nursing
According to an American writer, Mortimer Jerome Adler, freedom is one’s emancipation from the arbitrary
rule of others. Freedom is one’s own ability to live in full independence without the shackles of command. It is
simply one’s right for education and for life. For others, freedom is the immunity from tyranny and obligation.
Children believe that it is their right to do whatever they want while adults believe that it is the right to marry
and to be loved. Doctors believe that freedom is synonymous to their right to handle patients. Teachers
believed that it is their right to teach. Indeed, everyone has their own concept of freedom.
There are various types of freedom which most individuals do not understand. One is that citizens have a right
to free speech. There is also the freedom of equality, which is against any form of prejudice and racism. There
are rights which allow us to praise whatever religion we want and there are also rights which allow us to
improve ourselves. There is a law to protect the freedom of the poor and the weak and there are also laws
which protect the intellectual and property rights of individuals. Such rights are imposed by the government in
order to protect our freedom.
Freedom has been fought over for years. African-Americans fought for their right against slavery while people
fought for their religious freedom during the Holocaust. Many heroes have fought for the rights of their people.
Countries have fought against tyranny and oppression. Yet, the price for freedom is so high and many have lost
their lives in securing it. Most people have even worked their entire lives just to achieve a certain type of
financial freedom which is without the constraints of debt and servitude.
In today’s world, freedom is often questioned. Government laws often try to prohibit the intellectual freedom
of the masses. There are laws which prohibit reproductive rights while others are based on cybercrimes. Such
laws often prohibit the rights of people. Because of such laws several countries are often affected by the
shadows of communism and fascism. Indeed, it is true that the government is best if it governs least.
Schools and several institutions also have a negative impact towards freedom. Some schools only allow
children who came from wealthy families while universities only allow students who can pay their expensive
tuition. Most companies also judge their employees according to social background and even race. Because of
these institutions, freedom is often questioned and the society is affected by moral stigma. However, even
though there are questions about freedom, we still fight for what we believe in because we know that freedom
is precious.
Questions:
1.
Who was the writer who mentioned that freedom is one’s emancipation from the arbitrary rule of others?
2.
What are the various types of freedoms?
3.
Why is freedom important?
4.
Why is freedom questioned today?
5.
How can we protect our freedom?