I tend to lean toward Existentialism in my philosophy of life. So, when I came across this site:
Freedom, Responsibility, and Agency,
earlier, I had to let others know about this. This is not the first
time I have felt compelled to remind myself and others of the
responsibility that comes with freedom. As a matter of fact, I wrote a
blog post about it,
which can be read here.
It
was nice to find others that think the way I do in regards to this.
When I read the opening paragraph, I immediately felt as if someone had
reached into my mind and pulled the thoughts out and put them into
words:
Freedom,
from an existential perspective, cannot be separated from
responsibility. With freedom comes responsibility. Yet, it is common for
many people to seek freedom while trying to avoid responsibility.
While, at times, it appears that people may be able to succeed at this,
there remains a psychological consequence. This consequence is often not
very noticeable, but may find expression through guilt, anxiety,
depression, or even anger.
The website makes a
distinction between existential freedom and political freedom, such as
the freedom of speech. However, I think they are closely connected,
though many people think of American political freedoms as god-given
rights which should not be subject to responsibility in any way. In my
post I discussed comments (which I see as a form and example of the
freedom of expression, but also as a violation of this existential idea
of responsibility), but, of course, responsibility goes beyond that.
However, from reading comments, one can often get a good idea of the way
in which people are shirking their responsibility, while exercising
their freedom of expression.
Closely related to this idea is
the misconception that has been prevalent in recent years concerning the
word “responsibility.” Somehow, it has obtained the meaning of “the
ability to respond.” Well, it might mean that, but in its truer sense
it has a meaning closer to “duty.” And many people despise that word
and that idea. It sounds too much like work, or worse, slavery.
Well,
all it takes when it comes to our freedoms and the responsibility that
goes with them, is a few seconds to ensure that what we say and do does
not negatively affect others. Can you do or say something that will
hurt others? Yes. But, even if there are not legal consequences, even
if they don’t retaliate in some way, you still have consequences. And
as the site mentioned above states, these are often mental or emotional
problems.
I have seen this happen. I have experienced it in my
own life. I know people who think it is fine (they even brag about it)
to just say whatever is on their minds, even if it is hurtful to someone
else. And, yes, they experience anxiety, depression and anger, and
even though I am not a psychologist or psychiatrist I am able to tell
that they struggle with guilt. It’s in their speech. It’s in their
behavior. It’s eating them alive.
Here is the link to the website again:
Freedom, Responsibility, and Agency Please take the time to at least skim it. It is very informative and useful.
Ellipses by Danel F. Griffin
