Freedom vs Free Will

Look at the image above. What do you see?

At first glance, it’s obvious—two birds flying away from a cage they were once locked in. But I see it in two ways:

The First Perspective

The birds were trapped in the cage until someone—perhaps their owner—opened the door, setting them free. Now, they can go wherever they wish, carried by the wind. The sky is vast and open, but even it has limits. Birds, like all creatures, have their own range; their flight is not infinite. Even freedom comes with boundaries.

The Second Perspective

Perhaps the cage was never locked—its door left open all along. The birds had a choice: to stay, to leave, or to return after exploring. The decision was entirely theirs.

What’s Common in Both?

Freedom and Free Will.

The First Perspective: Freedom Misunderstood

Society creates cages—rules, expectations, restrictions. When someone is confined for too long, sudden freedom can feel overwhelming. Like the birds carried by the wind, we may mistake absolute freedom as having no limits, forgetting the laws of nature and consequences of our choices.

"You are born free and you spend your life being a slave to your own false truths." — Atticus

The Second Perspective: The Power of Choice

Here, the cage exists, but so do open doors. Nature grants us the ability to move in any direction, but the responsibility of choice remains with us.

"Freedom is not the right to choose anything; it's the right to choose the correct thing." — Unknown

The Fine Balance Between Freedom and Free Will

Everything in this world has boundaries—natural or man-made. True freedom isn’t about breaking those limits but understanding and navigating within them. You are free to explore, but the ability to choose wisely within given boundaries is free will.

And for that, mankind is gifted with something unique—the ability to think.

Comments

Anonymous said…

It is simple yet elegant.More profound on many levels.One can easily elaborate it to many situations we face in our lives.Choices and consequences are explained really good metaphorically.

6 April 2020 at 17:30

Deeplife said…

Thankyou for your appreciation. Keep reading!

6 April 2020 at 19:14

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