What do freedom and responsibility mean to me?
I guess they mean to me what they mean to most people; to have freedom is to have the right to do what you feel and people may say something about it, but you have freedom so what do you care? And to have responsibility is to hold yourself and do what you should do without having someone to tell you to do it, (mom). But I suppose there is a deeper meaning to it than that.
What they want us to believe:
Have you ever noticed that kid that whenever they get in trouble for saying something inappropriate or unnecessary, they say something along the lines of "well, I have freedom of speech so I can say whatever I want!" Yeah, they're annoying. They also haven't fully grasped the idea of freedom of speech. Freedom is not something that should be abused or tampered with, it should be something that we use tediously and with care. Yes, we have it, but we could also not have it.
Think about a society without a government and without a sense of order and organization. That world, although we'd like to think we'd do well, would most likely result in chaos. Humanity would link to a state of nature where the outcome would be almost impossible for the naive to grasp on to again. If you were this person, would you believe the ones who told you, you could have your cake and eat it too?
What it means to me:
Freedom means to me that I have the right to my own opinion and I have the right to do things with my opinions without the permission of others. Responsibility means to me that taking ownership of the things I do, whether that's right or wrong or somewhere in between. Responsibility, just like freedom should not be abused. Put them together and you get freedom with responsibility. This is the idea that states you can roam the halls of Rockbridge while on your lunch break, you can leave to drive to Zaxby's during your AUT. And you can most definitely got to the bathroom without having to have a pass or a teacher sign your planner, but you better be in your seat when its time to learn.
I have realized within Rockbridge, that I have a newfound freedom. And with this freedom comes responsibility. I have never been given such a right in an academic setting until I got here. I hold the responsibility for myself to be ready to learn when the time comes. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, but does no work and all play make Jack a great one? No, so I'll give myself the consequences I need to succeed and hold the responsibilities I have to the higher standards.
I've learned that with the right sustained environment, I don't have to worry about people taking away that entitlement until I've done something to not deserve it. Until then, I think I will have my cake and eat it too.
"Freedom couldn't truly exist without responsibility, and vice versa; for true freedom to be had one must be responsible enough to have said freedom, and in order to have true responsibility one must be free, otherwise it would not be freedom as much as what one is forced to do."
-Hallam George
This quote from Hallam George's blog post, Freedom With Responsibility, stood out to me because I think it describes what most people don't want to hear. We don't necessarily want to be told that there are consequences for our actions, whether that's now as a teenager or in the future as an adult. We must all be willing to take ownership of our ups and downs. Hallam mentions that we must be responsible to have the freedom we were born with. I think it also means that we should take care and handle it with discretion, otherwise it can and will be taken from us.
"Freedom makes a requirement of every human being. Freedom comes with responsibility. For the person unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect."
-Eleanor Roosevelt
I like this quote from Mrs. Roosevelt because I feel it represents a warning to the future that if we do not pull our own weight in tough times, we will never survive as human beings. If we are not willing to overcome things and pursue the future then we will get nowhere in life. I think Eleanor Roosevelt's hidden meaning behind this quote is that one of the human natures is to fall when times are tough, but the person willing to get over that hole and carry on is going to be the ultimate winner instead of the person who sits and watches life as a spectator sport.
