Freedom is not the lack of constraint, but the exercise of responsibility. Discuss.

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Freedom is not the lack of constraint, but the exercise of responsibility.

Discuss

Freedom can be described in a number of different ways and there are also many different types of freedom. The title “Freedom is not the lack of constraint, but the exercise of responsibility,” asks you if freedom is having the ability to do anything that you wish or having the control and responsibility of the world around them so that you feel no need for freedom because you are in control and you are the dictator.

        The description of freedom in the dictionary is “The absence of necessity or constraint in choice or action,” this is a good grounding to start with. There is also another quote that I think is relevant. “Freedom is being satisfied with the length of your rope.” This quite simply means that you can be living in even the worst conditions, and you could still be free because you are happy with your life and the lives of others around you. The people who write these kinds of quotes are generally optimistic people, but I think that they prove a valid point. If you are happy with your life then why do you need control or more choice? The phrase “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” comes to mind! However it is impossible for someone to be completely happy because of the society we live in. This brings us to the topic of rules and boundaries.

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        In modern society we have rules and laws so that everyone can be as free as possible without affecting anybody else’s lives. As well as choices being made for us as a democracy, this system also requires us to take on responsibility so that we don’t break the law. Many people would say that this is not free, but I think that if you are happy with that lifestyle then you are free.

 A lack of constraint means that you can not do everything that you want. In a perfect world this would be fine, but we don’t live ...

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