Summary:
Freedom and obligation are mutual concepts that work together. There can be no freedom without obligations; we can never be free if we violate or ignore what we are supposed to do, fail to think of others, and focus only on our selfish wants.
Mutualism: Freedom & Obligation
Can you define freedom? Literally, most people can, all they have to do is look for the word freedom in the dictionary and they'll find its meaning instantly. One would probably even say I'm free... if I can go out and go home whenever I want to; if I can sleep very late; if I can use drugs and drink alcohol uncontrollably; if I can hang out with my friends rather than doing my chores; if I can smoke like a chimney and many more selfish acts a person could think. If one couldn't do what he wants, then for him, he is being deprived of his freedom but you know what, this is just a shallow understanding of the word itself because freedom is not that simple. Everything on earth has a deep meaning that men should understand by heart, if not then everything would be worthless.
Freedom is the right or the capacity of self-determination as an expression of the individual will but it can never exist independently because freedom has obligations. Freedom and obligation has a mutual understanding that no man can break. One can never be called free if he violates or ignores what he is obliged to do. It doesn't only mean that one should only think of himself but also to think of others and his "inner self." Let's say, you wanted to watch a movie but then you have a rule that you can only watch on Saturdays because you should do your chores and assignments, still, you watched a movie even though it's a Friday. What's your reason? "I'm free to do what I want. This is a democratic country and God gave me free will to choose what I want to do. Don't deprive me of my freedom!" For you this might be a valid reason but what about for your parents? Didn't you just deprive them of their freedom to rest and see their son doing what is right? Didn't you just deprive your mind and conscience of their freedom to be free of worries? Didn't you just deprive yourself of its freedom to do the right thing in the name of God? Didn't you also deprive the freedom of your soul to be one step closer to our Father in Heaven? Imagine how many individuals have you deprived of freedom just by knowing the shallow meaning of it and by thinking that freedom is not born out of obligations.
Before, I'm also the type of person who also looks on the shallow interpretations of things because I believe that God gave me free will to choose and do whatever I want to do but through understanding the deeper meaning of freedom and obligations and their relationship to one another I was able to realize that I was wrong. I realized that doing the right thing and your obligations isn't depriving you of your freedom but instead it's freeing you from ill judgment and decisions. It's true that people tend to think that they are not free whenever they can't do what they want but have they thought of the things they want to do? Is it for the good of themselves and for others or only because they want it? We usually forget to ask this question or if we do we get the wrong answer that's why we tend to think that freedom is just simply being able to do what you want and as for obligation, it's the one depriving us of our freedom. This is really wrong and now, we should ask ourselves if what we're doing is right because God made us in his image and likeness and if we choose to do selfish acts then we not only hurt many individual but we also hurt our creator. Isn't that enough reason for us to stop first and reflect on the things we want to do? Isn't that a valid reason for us to think of the consequences of the things we think that's making us free? For me it is...
I've also realized that I must not just think of myself but rather of the many individual surrounding me because I can never be free if I'm violating the rules and if what I'm doing is not right. I've learned so many things in my life and this are the things that helped me define myself as a person and answer so many questions that's making me crazy.
I'm obliged to do so many things and a lot of people have great expectations for me. Before, I even thought that I'm tied with these obligations, that they're depriving me of my freedom but eventually, as the years pass and as I grow older I've realized that they're not depriving me of my freedom but rather they are helping me to be free, to be free from the evil around me, from bad temptations that's lurking here on earth. I know now that I can never be free if I don't do my obligations and that if I don't have obligations, I can not be free as well because I can do whatever I want and that's not right because I'm not thinking or doing actions for the good of others and myself but only because I want it which is totally wrong. As a person I must also look for the higher goods because it's what brings us closer to our Father. I understand now that things could only get complicated if I make it complicated and the only thing which could deprive me of freedom is not my obligations but my selfish thoughts.
"Life would be intolerable if there is no freedom and there can be no freedom if there are no obligations." We should keep this in mind if we want to live life with God to its fullest. We must understand that it's not wrong to choose to do the right thing rather than doing what you think can free you if it's for the good of others because it's the only thing that could spare us from the evil around us. Being free is what we all want. Nobody wants to be behind "cells" right? That's the reason why we should understand the mutual understanding of freedom and obligation because by that we would be able to reflect on our actions to prevent mistakes and regret doing them in the end. We must remove in our mind the thought of doing selfish acts and escaping our obligations because it's the only way for us to become free. I tell you it's nice to be free. Life would become worth-living if you're FREE!
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