Freedom
Freedom can have diverse meanings to different people. It is influenced by culture, economic development, religions, politics, and many more other factors. To me, the goal of this project of finding the meaning of freedom is not actually to find the meaning of freedom, instead, it is to increase the relative freedom of the future generations based on our current knowledge.
Even though freedom can vary significantly from one to another, it has some universal foundations: freedom over one’s own body; materials for survival; freedom of thoughts and opinions. In another word, the fundamental of freedom is the basic right of humans, it is what keeps us alive, physically and mentally.
We are unable to predict what the future will look like. However, what we know for sure is that change is becoming the new rule. Change is not a new concept to any of us. We see the change of seasons, the change of day and night, the change of our body with age, etc. We are familiar with change. It has accompanied us all along the life journey. We also consider these changes completely normal and acceptable. We wouldn’t be upset when the night falls, when cold winter rains arrive (well, maybe a little haha), or when we no longer fit in the old clothes because we’ve grown taller. Then why are we so frustrated with the changes like the ones that covid-19 pandemic has brought us?
Some could say that it is because the changes related to covid-19 pandemic are too sudden, too abrupt. They caught us off guard. That is why a lot of people are having a hard time processing it. Maybe that is a valid argument for the close down in spring 2020, but can we still use the same argument after 1 year and a half? Some would say that it is because it restricted our freedom. I agree that it did restrict our physical freedom, but our mental and intellectual freedom is still intact with us. We are still free to choose what to do in our homes.
I think the ability to adapt to new situations, new environments, and changes is the key to increase the freedom of future generations. It would first require a mindset shift. We can no longer expect things to continue as how they used to be. It is essential that we start thinking in terms of constant change and dynamism, instead of controlling and stabilizing. Fortunately, children adapt to new environments and adjust themselves very quickly, which makes this transition easier. Parents and schools both play an important role in shaping a child’s way of thinking. Therefore, we should advertise to parents and educators to gradually abandon the conventional idea of how life should be, and start embracing the new vision of seeing the world around us. That way, they could influence the younger generations to share a similar mindset of adaptation to changes.
Once we are able to adapt to different situations and changes, we will realize that we still have the means and ability to pursue freedom. That is when we will feel free.
Xiaoxi Liu