Much of the modern world has built its understanding of freedom upon Thomas Jefferson’s famous formulation of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
But what would life be like in a society of unrestricted freedom?
How many of us would choose to live in a society with no rules at all, where everyone was free to drive on either side of the road, to take whatever they desired regardless of rightful ownership, to indulge every whim and impulse without a thought of accountability?
The absolute “freedom” of pure anarchy provides no protection for the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In truth, unrestricted freedom is no freedom at all.
The illusion of freedom convinces us that our own gratification comes before our obligations to others, before even our obligations to ourselves.
If we allow our desire for unrestricted freedom to steer our lives, we will find ourselves enslaved by our desires no less than a chain smoker is a slave to his cigarettes or an alcoholic is a slave to his gin.
This Monday evening, Jews around the world will sit down to reexperience the Exodus from Egyptian slavery, not merely to remember our national origins and mission but to recover our focus on the never-ending fight for freedom of the mind.
Because, more than anything, Passover celebrates the freedom to think, to take stock of our lives and reassess our values, to take a fresh look at our own motivations and our own decisions, to acknowledge where we may have lost sight of truly meaningful goals and sincerely commit ourselves to striking out on a truer course.
Enjoy the full article here:
https://lnkd.in/gQsq9K5m
#passover #ethics #mindset #freedom #perspective
Happy July 4th! 💙