Freedom---a word of grandeur and such great power that lingers on each of our minds and stays there for awhile. Such an abstract idea that only the people with great minds only understand properly and said to have dated since society have been established.
As history unfolds and repeats itself over again and again, we can say in a 100% accuracy that man has striven for something other than what is physical like for survival but also to attain something that is more than that... that is, to be free.
But is freedom really that good that the Philippine guerrillas die for or the rallyists shout for? According to a renowned psychologist, Eric Fromm, the search and the continuing pursuit of attaining it constitutes the problems and troubles that humans encounter. His theory starts out with the discussion on the division of the aspects of a man into two parts, human and animal. He then added that man has break away from nature as a human causing the connection between him and nature to crumble. And because of this man has to establish a group which it can relate to, root itself upon, transcend, and become part of it, this group they have established was later known as “society”. Society is a whole with its members forming it. Thru the passage of time, they establish norms, laws and values. But, problems began when a member of the group was not satisfied with the norms, rules and values it have established and tried to seek out freedom leaving the society. The member that seeked freedom turned out to develop problems and neuroses in his self because he has no more group to belong to and for as we all know, man is a social being , which means that we need others in order to survive.
There are various attempts to escape freedom. As Fromm suggested, the healthiest way to escape is thru unity with others in the spirit of love and shared work. The unhealthy way in escaping freedom is thru authoritarianism, destructiveness and thru automaton conformity.
So as Eric Fromm wisely said, unity is what we need the most and not freedom itself. It does not really solve the need that arises in us but instead it could amplify it. So guys, if you ever thought of freedom as a base of eternal peace and refuge of everlasting prosperity then you might think twice before attempting to attain it. Escape it before you become a prisoner of freedom.
As history unfolds and repeats itself over again and again, we can say in a 100% accuracy that man has striven for something other than what is physical like for survival but also to attain something that is more than that... that is, to be free.
But is freedom really that good that the Philippine guerrillas die for or the rallyists shout for? According to a renowned psychologist, Eric Fromm, the search and the continuing pursuit of attaining it constitutes the problems and troubles that humans encounter. His theory starts out with the discussion on the division of the aspects of a man into two parts, human and animal. He then added that man has break away from nature as a human causing the connection between him and nature to crumble. And because of this man has to establish a group which it can relate to, root itself upon, transcend, and become part of it, this group they have established was later known as “society”. Society is a whole with its members forming it. Thru the passage of time, they establish norms, laws and values. But, problems began when a member of the group was not satisfied with the norms, rules and values it have established and tried to seek out freedom leaving the society. The member that seeked freedom turned out to develop problems and neuroses in his self because he has no more group to belong to and for as we all know, man is a social being , which means that we need others in order to survive.
There are various attempts to escape freedom. As Fromm suggested, the healthiest way to escape is thru unity with others in the spirit of love and shared work. The unhealthy way in escaping freedom is thru authoritarianism, destructiveness and thru automaton conformity.
So as Eric Fromm wisely said, unity is what we need the most and not freedom itself. It does not really solve the need that arises in us but instead it could amplify it. So guys, if you ever thought of freedom as a base of eternal peace and refuge of everlasting prosperity then you might think twice before attempting to attain it. Escape it before you become a prisoner of freedom.
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