We have a right to be free but we don’t own freedom. Freedom is an objective absolute for all; to take possession of it is to destroy it for others.
George Pitcher, A Time to Live
I’m not sure what I think about this, so it’s here for me to ponder as well as you.
You probably know by now that whenever I see the word ‘right’ it raises a red flag for me. If we are free, doesn’t that mean we are free from something? If so, what? Who owns those shackles with which we would otherwise be bound?
Is there a limited amount of freedom, so if I take too much, someone else will be left with too little? Is it a fine balance, in which freedom for me necessarily means restriction for somebody else?
I think I agree with what George is trying to say, and I think I’m going to enjoy his book (of which I’m currently reading a review copy – more details to follow!), but this quotation just made me stop and think.
Hmmm…