Freedom. A word that feels lofty, almost sacred, because it encompasses everything that drives humanity: the urge for self-realization, the pursuit of independence, the need to follow our own path. But how much do we really live in this freedom? How much of it is mere illusion, a shimmering mirage behind which we hide, while we are already entangled in invisible webs that we neither see nor understand?

The Birthright of Freedom – and Its Gradual Loss

Freedom, they say, is our birthright. As humans, we come into the world with an innate instinct to take our lives into our own hands, to develop our abilities, to shape our environment according to our own vision. But what happens when this inner drive meets resistance, when external forces deny us the choice? The contradictions could not be greater: in a world that is evolving at breakneck speed, we paradoxically seem to be losing more and more of our freedom.

There are the great, powerful states that impose their ideologies, their economic interests, and, not least, their weapons on the weaker ones like chains. Countries are suffocated by wars and sanctions, people restricted in their freedom of movement. Even in the so-called "free" countries, many find it increasingly difficult to simply live the way they want. Education, career choice, even freedom of speech – everything is under constant pressure from conformity and control.

How Free Are We Really?

But freedom is more than just the absence of chains, more than the right to express opinions without repression or to choose the job that pleases us most. Freedom, true freedom, means bearing responsibility – for what we do, for what we decide, for what we do not decide. We create our own happiness or misfortune, our heights and depths.

But how often do we actually feel free in these decisions? How often do we believe we have a choice, only to realize that this choice has long been predetermined – by the media, by society, by the unspoken expectations of others?

The media, these omnipresent forces that infiltrate our daily lives, steer our thoughts, shape our worldview. How free are we in an information stream that tells us what to believe, what is right and what is wrong? What remains of freedom of thought when we lose ourselves in the flood of conflicting news, until we finally stop thinking at all?

The Freedom of Choice – A Gift We Forget

And yet, despite all these challenges, there remains a freedom that no one can take from us – unless we give it up ourselves: the freedom of decision. We have the power to choose. We decide which path to take, what goal to pursue. We can allow ourselves to drift with the current of time, or we can swim against it, set our own course, with all the risks and consequences that come with it.

But many of us no longer make conscious decisions. We let ourselves drift, trapped in the routines of everyday life, in the expectations of others, in the countless distractions that modern life offers. This form of "freedom" is deceptive. It is freedom without purpose, freedom without responsibility. It is the illusion of freedom while the soul dulls and the mind grows weary.

Freedom and Order – An Inseparable Pair

True freedom must never be confused with lawlessness. Freedom without order leads to chaos. This applies not only to the state of law in which we live, but also to intellectual freedom. It is tempting to believe that freedom means doing whatever one pleases. But is it truly freedom if these actions harm others? If they disturb the larger whole, the order of creation?

Immanuel Kant once said: "The freedom of the individual ends where the freedom of another begins." These words remind us that freedom must always be in harmony with the universal laws – the laws of nature, of morality, of creation. A rose cannot become a tomato, no matter how much it wants to. A person without inner strength cannot become a spiritual leader. But in the right environment, under the right conditions, the rose can unfold to its fullest beauty – and so can we humans.

The Higher Purpose of Freedom – A Life in Harmony

Freedom must have a purpose. It is not an end in itself, not an empty shell. Freedom means growing, recognizing one's potential, and using it – but not at the expense of others, not at the expense of the world in which we live. If we want to live freely, we must learn to recognize and respect the order of this world. For only within this order can we realize our true potential.

The freedom that truly makes us happy does not lie in selfishness, not in the fulfillment of small, short-term desires. It lies in being part of something greater, in contributing to creation. Like a musician in an orchestra, who plays their part without disrupting the overall rhythm, who helps shape the great work and enjoys the freedom to choose their own melody.

In this harmony lies true freedom. The freedom to rise, to grow, to shape our own lives – but always with the awareness that the freedom of others matters too. And that only those who respect this freedom can truly be free.