Absolute Freedom

Everywhere we go there is a hierarchy of some kind. In a family setting there is sibling rivalry and parents who carry authority. It is the same on the job and with a community. The Bob Dylan song says "You are going to have to serve somebody." We don't want to be enslaved to anyone or anything however, and freedom is an attraction to all. Aristotle spends quite a bit of time explaining the proper treatment of slaves and their purpose in politics. With the Industrial Age, slavery became a thing of the past and we use machines to do what human power once did. We use carbon driven equipment to build our buildings and to heat our homes. The age we live in has given mankind a freedom in this way that has never been experienced in past history.

But what is ownership? There are things we own that have a productive purpose, we could call business oriented. Also things we own that are for pleasure. Most government differentiate between the two and tax us heavily on things for pleasure since they aren't necessities. But in the activity of living, the things we work for are on the pleasure side. We want a nice house to entertain rather than a simple hut to stay warm. Everyone agrees that necessities are important but the conflict of greed and jealousy mostly occurs over the pleasurable things.

Is there such a thing as absolute freedom? Animals are slaves to their appetites and live by the law of the jungle. It is romanticized by our society but the wild is a dangerous and violent place to be. When working with other humans, there is a hierarchy too. The more a person has virtue, the better he does in whatever position he has. From slave to free, president to laborer; things work best when we treat each other well and advancement that comes from diligence is the best kind. A tyrant will limit the choices of those under him. We are all servants but a slave is someone who has limits forced on his associations. Servants do what they agree to do and then go about their free time to pursue their own interests where a slave is always under the master's authority. A poor servant won't perform his duty for the wages agreed upon.

It is interesting that the more authority one gets, the more people you have to serve and show diligence toward. It isn't as glamorous as some people make it. A business owner might be able to set his own hours but they are really dictated by their customers needs and the availability of their workers. The struggle between necessity and pleasure is more evident when one owns a business. But for those who work under someone, there is merely a duty to perform the tasks assigned. Home and free time is mainly for enjoyment. Necessity is always trying to impose itself on our free time. It is easier for some to relax than others. Some, on the other hand, become slaves to pleasure and never accomplish much. So keeping things in perspective is something every individual has to do.