Saturday, October 07, 2006

Thoughts on Freedom

I was watching "King Arthur" a while back, with Richard Gere and Sean Connery and was again impressed by the misconception of what "freedom" means and how the falacy is consistently taught by the media. When I think of freedom, I think of the ability to interact with people and inpact each other's lives because there are commonalities in our language and personal experiences. These "limits" enable us to communicate effectively. Without a code for behavior and meaningful communication we lose the potential to interact "freely" in society. I want the freedom to communicate honor, integrity and value to my friends, neighbors, and even those I don't know. I want to be free to daily reaffirm my humanity and the relationship I have with each person as a part of God's creation. When I act "independantly" without respect for consequences or without a desire to be understood or understand, or without respect for the value of others and their perspectives, then I am not free, but rather enslaved to my ego and disconnected from everything of value.

Watching Gueneviere struggle with her feelings between the great King Arthur and the handsome, brave Lancelot, I can only feel pity for her conflicting desires. She wants to be a great queen and honor a noble King (who she apparently loves) on one hand and, on the other, feels a passion which she is unable to control. Am I not often in the same situation? I want my passions to be subject to my heart! I want my heart to be a slave to a noble calling! I want to live in a freedom that connects my life to something of eternal value and consequence! I want freedom to prosper in a community of those who value life and meaningful communication.

1 comment:

josh said...

Very interresting thoughts.
I recently also wrote an article in my blog called "grace and freedom." It's a different take on the issue of freedom than you focused on. Still, i agree very much so with the idea that freedom exists in the ability to communicate effectively through either, experience, behaviour, advice, or simply, inate moral "protocols."
peace my friend,

josh