It is during this time of year that Jewish people all over the world celebrate the Festival of Freedom, the holiday of Passover. The emancipation of the Jewish People as slaves in Egypt.
But with spring here and new beginnings fresh starts it is time for all people to think about Freedom and to release our selves from modern day slavery.
First lets understand the words!
Main Entry: free·dom
Pronunciation: \ˈfrē-dəm\
Function: noun
Date: before 12th century
1 : the quality or state of being free: as a : the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action b : liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another :independence c : the quality or state of being exempt or released usually from something onerous <freedom from care> d : ease, facility <spoke the language with freedom> e :the quality of being frank, open, or outspoken <answered with freedom> f : improper familiarity g : boldness of conception or execution h : unrestricted use <gave him the freedom of their home>
2 a : a political right b : franchise, privilege
Synonyms freedom, liberty, license mean the power or condition of acting without compulsion. freedom has a broad range of application from total absence of restraint to merely a sense of not being unduly hampered or frustrated <freedom of the press>.liberty suggests release from former restraint or compulsion <the released prisoner had difficulty adjusting to his new liberty>. license implies freedom specially granted or conceded and may connote an abuse of freedom <freedom without responsibility may degenerate into license>.
Main Entry: slav·ery
Pronunciation: \ˈslā-v(ə-)rē\
Function: noun
Date: 1551
1 : drudgery, toil
2 : submission to a dominating influence
3 a : the state of a person who is a chattel of another b : the practice of slaveholding
Ok I am not a slave and I am free within the limits of the laws, rules and regulations of the state.
However am I really free?
YES or NO
I say yes! I am free; I have the freedom to choose how to live.
Some would say that I am a slave to my job, to my home, to my family, to my friends, to my community.
I say” I am free!”
- I am not a slave to my job for I choose to enjoy my job! So every minute that I work I enjoy….this giving me a lively hood to allow me to afford or attain other freedoms in my life.
- I am not a slave to my home, I choose to run my home in an orderly way so that I can enjoy my time spent there, so I am free to have others come and enjoy my home.
- I am not a slave to my family, I have the freedom to have a family, a wonderful family and I do my best and my “most” so that my family will have the freedom to have a family too!
- I am not a slave to my friends, I do not conform to my friends, and I am free to voice my opinions and to share with my friends my thoughts, feelings and dreams. My friends are free to share with me the same.
- I am not a slave to my community, I am free to live in a wonderful community and it is my choice to help when help is needed in a community of caring citizens.
To be free in the true sense of the word (for me) in a modern day democratic state is a “state of mind” – it is a way of being – it is the choice of positive perspective.
As I grow older (and wiser) I have learned that in every challenge that I am confronted with there is a positive side.
Finding this positive side is finding the freedom from this challenge.
Shari
