Freedom - I have always been free ever since I was born.

Freedom to is later practiced in my life; when I grew up and developed a more responsible character. I experienced freedom to when my parents gave me the right to at least choose some things I am capable of handling at my age. There was an experience wherein I felt freedom to…. I was never hindered from choosing my own course. I often ask my mother what course I should take, she just tells me whatever course I am happy with. With those simple words, she is giving me the freedom to be someone I want to be. Freedom to is a more liberating experience compared to freedom from because it gives the person more meaning in his life and a sense of responsibility. This type of freedom not only makes us choose, it also determines our life or end. It is however, not enough. There is a higher type of freedom. Freedom for is the type of freedom that needs commitment. I am experiencing freedom for since I am committed in serving God as well as my family and friends. I may at times go astray and fails to fulfill that commitment but with God’s help, I find my way back. Last seeker camp, I found myself a map to continue my commitments to God to always turn to Him through difficulties. For more than a month, I don’t know what came over me but all I do in prayer is to thank, ask and ask but something happened in that particular retreat that made me cry and long for God’s comfort. Maybe it was because I was made head kulats and I kept thinking what if I messed up…. And in the pub, I just felt so calm and strengthened. I felt God there present in me. There were signs telling me that I was lost too long and I need to go back, one of them was the priest in the mass. Deprived of practicing freedom for makes me feel so guilty. For the past months, as I said, all I did was ask God for something, I do not even spend much time with Him on holy days and it did not feel good breaking the commitment I made one year ago.

Earlier, I experienced being unfree, both unfree from and to. My sister in law told me that she’ll use the computer but I asked her I need to finish this reflection first because I am so tired but my brother, being the eldest and has given me fear most of the time, came and scolded me! I felt so unfree because I was not free of doing my assignment without being disturbed and I was not given the freedom to express what my mind is crying out.

Being free makes a person feel better and relieved. It gives him a sense of worth and responsibility. Freedom from is a very steep level and does not fulfill a person. It is just a short-term freedom, like in my experience, after joining the trip, who knows when I will be permitted again…. Freedom to is related to freedom for. When I am free to be the person I want to be, I commit myself in fulfilling that commitment, therefore, it gives my life meaning. Every individual longs to be free. However, most of the people settle to be free from chains and parents. They do not use their freedom properly, instead of developing their freedom into a more meaningful sense, they prefer to use it for pleasure, not knowing that they will become prisoners of their actions. My experiences made me realize the freedom is not just being allowed to do whatever I desire but it also involves responsibilities and making commitments.