If I am pursuing liberty it seems reasonable to try defining what “liberty” is. Let me start off by saying that I chose the name very carefully and in the years since then I have confirmed many times that I chose correctly – liberty is what I am pursuing, and nothing short of liberty will satisfy me.
The primary (top) dictionary definition of liberty is:
a. The condition of being free from restriction or control.
b. The right and power to act, believe, or express oneself in a manner of one’s own choosing.
c. The condition of being physically and legally free from confinement, servitude, or forced labor.
I would like to add my own working definition of what liberty is. Let me preface that list of what liberty is with a couple of statements of what liberty is not:
Now for what liberty is:
- Liberty is hard work
- Liberty is personal responsibility
- Liberty is the freedom to make choices
- Liberty is attainable only on an individual level
- Liberty is compatible with all universal laws (laws of physics, laws of human nature, laws of economics, etc.)
- Liberty is the highest goal a person could achieve
Finally I would like to state that there is no such thing as purely political liberty except in the sense that it is possible to live in a society that promotes/provides political liberty while personally making choices that curtail ones own personal liberty. This means that in order to achieve political liberty we must be willing and able to attain personal liberty in other areas of life through our use of personal choice and accountability – anything less than that is simply freedom.
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