"The only freedom that is of enduring importance is freedom of intelligence, that is to say, freedom of observation and of judgment exercised in behalf of purposes that are intrinsically worthwhile." John Dewey from Experience & Education.
What is freedom? And how do we exercise our freedom? The answer can not be found in a book or from the wisest philosopher. It can only be found in ourselves. Before our individual freedoms can even be defined we must come to the revelation that we not only are in control of our freedoms, but we also inhibit them.
It's ironic that today is Veterans Day. We observe this day in the United States to honor those individuals that have served or are serving for our country and protecting those freedoms we are so fortunate of. But do we utilize this freedoms as we should? Do we even realize that the most abundant freedom lies within our own minds and actions?
To explain how we inhibit this freedom, two words pop into my mind. Impulse and control. These forces work together and they work against each other. Think about that really great pair of shoes you think you can't live without or even just that Starbucks coffee that will boost your day. We can easily pull out our piece of plastic and buy these things, without any reflective thinking. But what we are exercising here is impulsive. Impulsive behavior can be controlled but when we are not reflecting on our decisions we exhibit no control. This scenario is only a portion of the large picture of this problem of inhibiting our own freedoms.
Think about this. We are surrounded with so many resources in our everyday lives. The internet, books, people, art, pop culture, and so many other elements that can only enrich our lives. Do we stimulate the control to use this things to our advantage? Why not? Knowledge can only improve and enrich our lives, but we must have the intrinsic motivation and drive to seek it out at all lengths possible. This doesn't mean picking up Hamlet if you are not interested in Literature. But it does mean that if you like football or video games, learn more about it. Make your knowledge more extensive about what ever it may be that makes you happy. You have the freedom to do that.
To conclude, I do honor those men and women who have served or do serve our country and I think that we as United States citizens should not take for granted what they have helped contribute to us. Men have sacrificed their lives so that we can read what ever book we want, to learn about whatever we want to know about. It is your right!
It's ironic that today is Veterans Day. We observe this day in the United States to honor those individuals that have served or are serving for our country and protecting those freedoms we are so fortunate of. But do we utilize this freedoms as we should? Do we even realize that the most abundant freedom lies within our own minds and actions?
To explain how we inhibit this freedom, two words pop into my mind. Impulse and control. These forces work together and they work against each other. Think about that really great pair of shoes you think you can't live without or even just that Starbucks coffee that will boost your day. We can easily pull out our piece of plastic and buy these things, without any reflective thinking. But what we are exercising here is impulsive. Impulsive behavior can be controlled but when we are not reflecting on our decisions we exhibit no control. This scenario is only a portion of the large picture of this problem of inhibiting our own freedoms.
Think about this. We are surrounded with so many resources in our everyday lives. The internet, books, people, art, pop culture, and so many other elements that can only enrich our lives. Do we stimulate the control to use this things to our advantage? Why not? Knowledge can only improve and enrich our lives, but we must have the intrinsic motivation and drive to seek it out at all lengths possible. This doesn't mean picking up Hamlet if you are not interested in Literature. But it does mean that if you like football or video games, learn more about it. Make your knowledge more extensive about what ever it may be that makes you happy. You have the freedom to do that.
To conclude, I do honor those men and women who have served or do serve our country and I think that we as United States citizens should not take for granted what they have helped contribute to us. Men have sacrificed their lives so that we can read what ever book we want, to learn about whatever we want to know about. It is your right!
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