None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free. –Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Freedom has always been an interesting word and I believe that our current worldview has done a gross injustice to all that the word freedom represents. We have reduced the concept of freedom to nothing more than persons being able to do what they want, when they want, how they want, and to whom they want. That is not freedom; that is immaturity. I believe that in order to experience authentic freedom, we have to examine what this word really means and then build from there.
Freedom is a hybrid word which comes from two words which are “free” and “domain” or “dominion”. Eleanor Roosevelt made an excellent observation when she said that “with freedom comes responsibility.” I especially like how the online etymology dictionary states one of the definitions of freedom as “the power of self-determination.” So, with that in mind, here is how I define freedom: “Freedom is the state in which a person or persons are empowered through self-determination to be able to manage a domain with responsible authority.”
Keyword is responsible. In other words, freedom, real freedom, demands responsibility. This fits well with one of the definitions of freedom which states that freedom is “the power to act, speak, or think without externally imposed restraints.” Responsibility is not something that can be forced on a person via external sources, it has to be realized internally first. Therefore, this word responsibility has to be included in any discussion regarding the idea of freedom. So, whenever any talk of freedom comes up, we will do well to remember that freedom is never void of responsibility.
I remember as a teenager I longed for freedom but my idea of freedom was this: I wanted to be able to do my own thing with no thought of the repercussions. That is not authentic freedom. I wanted all the benefits that freedom brings with it without embracing all of the responsibilities that enjoying those benefits bring as well.
The first-century Roman thought leader Paul made mention of this when he said even though you have the ability to do whatever you please, not everything you do is good or beneficial. In other words, even though you are indeed free to do all things, some things may not be the most responsible thing to do. So, if freedom has responsibility attached to it, that means there must be some principles that support and sustain the responsibility of freedom. What are some principles that support the responsibility of freedom? There are a few, but for sake of time and space in this opinion section here are three of them:
1) Interdependence
Freedom welcomes the opportunity for interdependence because it recognizes that no man is an island. One way to measure if we are truly operating in freedom is to see how well we can “interdepend” on each other. This means we are to view each other as allies and not enemies. We are in an interdependent relationship with each other. We are working together in order for us to realize and achieve real freedom and to help facilitate that interdependent relationship. We are to assist each other when and where necessary on our journey to freedom.
Interdependence can only come by all hands working together, each taking their individual responsibility as it relates to their sphere of influence to ensure that essential areas of life are gradually improving and reaching towards the ideal. When we realize that it takes a community of like-minded individuals to build and sustain something that is worthwhile and is also free of competition and jealousy; that is responsible behavior and true freedom is not too far behind.
2) Accountability
Freedom also welcomes the opportunity for accountability because it displays that you are open to the idea of becoming more responsible. Anyone, whether it is on an individual level or national level, who refuses any form of accountability is treading on very dangerous grounds because where there is no accountability the potential for corruption and dysfunction increases exponentially. Corruption and dysfunction essentially is the result of persons in positions of authority engaging in irresponsible behavior one time and then they have to keep behaving irresponsibly to cover up the last irresponsible act. That is why we have seemingly never ending cycles of dysfunctional behavior occurring, especially in positions of leadership. Accountability, however, has the power to prevent that from happening thus leading to a more responsible and favorable outcome as well as authentic freedom.
3) Generational transference
Freedom is also concerned about generational transference. This is a big one and extremely important. This is very important to consider if we are truly willing to work towards developing authentic freedom in our children. Freedom begins to put things in place today to benefit our successors tomorrow. That is the responsible thing to do. Things such as the knowledge and understanding of right and wrong, their identity and purpose, developing healthy self-esteem, and fostering positive relationships are all areas of freedom that require responsible people to make them a reality.
A tree only grows as big, tall, and strong as the roots go down deep. Our children are newly planted trees, what roots are we giving them? If we want to see a generation walking in real freedom, then we have to make it a priority to build strong and responsible children who understand that authentic freedom demands responsibility. We can have the most intelligent children but if they are exposed to unhealthy and destructive behaviors that are void of any notion of responsibility, we are in some serious trouble!
Famed Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist Viktor Emil Frankl once said that “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” I believe that this is a powerful insight because it further shows us that true freedom is our “response-ability” or our ability to respond to external stimuli. Therefore our growth or lack thereof is determined by whether or not that response is positive or negative.
What does this mean for St. Martin? There are several stimuli on both north and south sides that are demanding a response from us and the only logical response in my opinion is that of independence. However, to be truly independent means that we are willing to walk in real freedom. The reason why most people dread the thought of independence is not so much because of independence itself but rather because of the responsibility it requires. To live and operate in true freedom will demand a huge sacrifice of every one of us. This is an understandably scary outlook for the person who is unwilling to grow up or even the person who does not want to carry their own weight but if we can manage to get past that initial fear, the benefits of freedom far outweigh anything we can imagine right now.
In conclusion, what I just wrote can be summed up perfectly by this quote by American writer, publisher and artist Elbert Hubbard: “Freedom cannot be bestowed – it must be achieved.” True freedom is achieved through responsibility and responsibility is a learned behavior. No one wakes up responsible, which is why Paul the philosopher again lets us know that if we truly want to be transformed and see a transformed society, it begins with the renewing of our minds. The more we renew our minds with what responsible behavior requires, the more responsible we become which ultimately leads us into true freedom. Therefore, freedom is a status that is gradually attained.
So. let us make the decision and the conscious effort to begin learning the behavior of responsibility and then commit to teaching that same behavior to the next generation so that the generations after us can be truly free instead of merely celebrating the idea of being free. In all honesty, the changes we seek cannot be made until our country’s right to self-determination is realized and recognized. After all, we are one island with one people forging one destiny and no imaginary border should ever prevent us from pursuing the ideal of independence and true freedom and making that ideal a reality.
Darren Wilson
Advocate for an independent Saint Martin
