Freedom (like Braveheart)

"What elements must be in place for a group of people to consider themselves "free"?"

Freedom can be measured in different ways from degrees of freedom in motion to freedom in government. In a socio-governmental aspect, basic rights are needed in order to truly be free. The basic rights of life include food, shelter, freedom from physical abuse, clothes, etc. These basic rights are not being given in China to the Falun Dafa members who are being captured for their spiritual beliefs. Falun Dafa members meet in large groups on the street to do exercises to promote healthy lifestyles. These members are not free since they are not free from the physical abuse of the government. According to one of our speakers, Ms. Chen, these Falun Dafa practitioners are being rounded up and sent to labor camps or killed and exploited for their organs. The Communism of China isn’t to blame for this; however, it’s the fear of a governmental overthrow from the masses that is causing the government to react so fiercely. For instance, Mr. Song, another speaker, told us that in China he lives a free life. He also added that the only reason that the Falun Dafa members are being detained is because they denounced the Communist Party, thus becoming a threat to the government. In either case, the basic rights would be needed in order to enjoy freedom.

In a personal sense, perspective determines whether one is free or not. For instance, a monk who has practiced meditation for 25 years may think he is not free until he reaches nirvana, whereas a high school student is free once the weekend rolls around. It’s not always psychological. A paraplegic may never consider himself to be free again, since he cannot walk. He no longer has the freedom to move freely. The bottom line is that freedom is a very general term that can be applied in many aspects of life, but when used in a governmental aspect basic rights are necessary.