There is freedom of speech, but I cannot guarantee freedom after speech"—is widely attributed to Idi Amin Dada, the military dictator who ruled Uganda from 1971 to 1979.
Every individual is bounded by rules, and even religion has its dos and don'ts. All these are meant to maintain morals and order. This order goes way back to the beginning of creation, where God, though he gave man freedom, left him with a rule governing the garden they inhabited. One may question whether freedom comes with rules. The word freedom may be perceived as unrestricted access to a man's will, regardless of his desire, but then forget that humans have diverse wants; if not tamed, one's free will becomes the misery of another.
One thing about a man's heart is that wickedness resides in it. When we make the statement "we are just human," we show our vulnerability to making mistakes. These laws put in place become a factor that questions our conscience and decisions and sometimes instill fear within men. Amin Dada, though he said there's freedom of speech—an open platform to exercise one's right—his latter words "but I cannot guarantee freedom after speech" censor what people are allowed to say. In such a government, freedom is not truly given because people's wills are suppressed by fear, and fear can be both a positive measure for order and morals, and can also be a measure to deprive people of their rights.
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Take a look at a child's life who enjoys a higher degree of freedom. They walk around with no fear, say whatever they like, destroy whatever they deem useless, and make decisions that either hurt them or the people around them. People believe they're ignorant of what is right and wrong, even when all they do is exercise their free will with no deterrent. But as they grow older, they're told what to do and not to do, and this is because their free will sometimes isn't wisdom but foolishness in action. This is why rules are placed—not because they want to deprive one of his free will, but to suppress certain foolish decisions and actions that come from one's actions.
But then, if there are deterrents from doing certain things, can we still say we have free will? Certainly, yes. Free will isn't the absence of rules but an ability to make right decisions without being questioned. Even children are prevented from doing certain things because they have negative impacts on them or the people around them. The Bible says, "Spare the rod and spoil the child"; for adults, laws and punishment become the rods. When it's taken away, it only brings chaos. No man can have absolute freedom, because rules aren't meant for one, but for all.
Laws and rules often only punish what's defined as wrong, not cause harm, and only the unwise would despise laws in search of absolute freedom, because what often lies beyond absolute freedom are unwise decisions and actions like those of a child who believes everything that glitters is gold. So yes, even if there are deterrents from doing certain things, as long as our movement, speech, worship, and decisions aren't restricted unlawfully, we still have our free will.
If free will means being able to choose alternative actions without someone physically forcing your hand, then the presence of consequences doesn't destroy it—it is just part of how you deliberate.
Posted Using INLEO
