I believe that freedom is a choice. It is our right to say and do anything that we desire as long as we abide by our country’s laws. One would say that freedom involves mentally and physically expressing ourselves without any kind of restrictions. In fact, the definition of freedom can be understood in different perspectives. Having free will gives us the mentality to think about doing whatever we please, but we are also limited in taking certain actions unless we accept the consequences that follow.
For example, we are free to rob a bank and trespass on private property, but we can be fined or sent to jail if we get caught doing so. Some choices we make with our free will could lead to imprisonment, and other choices shape us into the person we are today. We have the freedom to take on hobbies such as cooking or photography, we have the choice to befriend people we come across, and we have a vast amount of opportunities to help us explore potential career paths. Freedom is within our mind and spirit, but is it really freedom when we are being controlled by rules and regulations?
Our society is divided into groups of people with a wide range of beliefs, which make it difficult for us to compromise and come up with ideas to transform the community into a more accepting and welcoming environment. This brings me to my view of liberation, which is freedom without any kind of constraints or limitations. Additionally, liberation can also be defined as steering away from a traditional system and becoming more open-minded to a variety of opinions from diverse populations. If we do not agree with the laws set by the government, we have the power to stand up for our beliefs and make our voices heard.
For xample, I believe that the government’s position on the hierarchy does not make them more powerful than anyone else because they are also human just like the rest of us citizens. Why should we allow them to have authority over us if they are just people? To have the title of a president does not mean that they actually know what is best for our country, or to have the title of a professor does not mean that they have the ability to educate their students with useful information. When it comes to voting during elections and evaluating courses we took, it is important to advocate for ourselves so that our needs could potentially be met.
We could do additional research about each potential candidate and we could further our education through life experiences. Moreover, I suppose that changes to the law are not made or brought to our attention unless several groups of people come together and protest. Being rebellious sometimes helps us get our way because it is the norm to follow the rules or else we could be subject to penalties. For instance, the newly added toll lanes on 1-405 caused an uproar of distressed drivers claiming that these lanes made traffic worse.
As a result, the state compromised and decided to keep them toll-free at particular times during weekdays and at all times on holidays and weekends. I am almost certain that some people are still not satisfied with the way this issue was settled and that is why liberation can be challenging in situations like these. Those who especially have religious beliefs may be harder to convince. Growing up in a Roman Catholic household heavily influenced my faith in God and Jesus. However, I only attend mass once or twice a month and I do not read the bible on a regular basis.
The power of prayer itself gives me the strength to carry on with my life. Furthermore, I deem Jesus as the son of God who sacrificed his life for the sake of our sins because he loves us. From what | have learned by going to church and reading the gospel, the Romans falsely accused Jesus of identifying himself as the king of the Jews, which eventually led to his crucifixion. Jesus chose to give up his life for those he loved and nothing stopped him from doing so. He had the option to deny the accusation or escape from the dreadful event, but he decided not to. Jesus gave us freedom by freeing himself through sacrifice.
Therefore, his sacrifice was also his freedom. In terms of liberation, Jesus did not bother to defend himself for a crime he did not commit. I think that it was in his will to let the Romans torture him because his love is empowering. To love and forgive people who have done wrong is lesus’ idea of liberation and justice. It might not make sense to others but I reckon that Jesus obtained the justice he thought he deserved by making a sacrifice out of love. Justice is generally problematic to achieve because not everyone can mutually agree with the way some situations are handled.
In other words, one may believe that a criminal should be executed for a mass murder instead of being sentenced to life in prison. Having a mindset similar to Jesus takes a lot of strength and courage, but this may be one possible way to accomplish peace and liberty for all. Since I perceive myself as a compassionate individual with a kind and loving heart, my experiences with helping those in need have always been rewarding. The appreciation I received in return gave me the inspiration to spend the rest of my life serving others.
A few years ago, I volunteered for a foundation that specifically aimed to support families affected by the typhoon disasters in the Philippines. We hosted benefit concerts to raise money and collect donated goods such as toys, clothes, toiletries, canned food, and school supplies to send to these victims. I will not deny the fact that I used to be ungrateful for what I had until I realized that I was blessed to have everything that other people lost. Organizing and promoting charity events were not as easy as I thought, but it caused me to step out of my comfort zone.
Working with others lessened my stress and anxiety since I used to be extremely shy growing up. In addition, deciding to pursue a career in nursing feels as if I have made the right choice. I recently completed my first clinical rotation that involved the care of older adults. Spending six weeks in a facility filled with people who no longer have the ability to be independent changed my perspective on life. One of the residents I provided care for felt hopeless because she was lonely, depressed and could not find a reason to continue living due to her physical condition.
By imagining myself in her shoes, I learned that unwanted lifestyle changes are complicated to cope with. She also reminded me of my grandmother who had a cerebral aneurysm two years ago and can no longer walk. I can only imagine how painfully lonely she must feel because she lives out of state and stays at a rehabilitation center. This led me to think about what I can do to console those who feel lost and miserable. We can only make the best out of the time we have left, and what I choose to do with that time is to comfort the needy and inspire others to do the same.