A Testimonial by a Member – At first it seems like an odd question to ask. One would think that the concepts of freedom and freewill are assumed to be a part of one’s existence, and should be available to everyone as a birth right. Whilst that may be the case in some countries, it continues to be an incomplete picture.
Any freedom that we enjoy in society today is two-fold. It is a right, and a responsibility. These two crucial elements are the balancing pillars of the freedom we enjoy within human rights principles. To view freedom as an absolute right, without any duties or responsibilities for our actions towards others, is not possible; it is an attempt to balance this framework without one of its key pillars, thus creating an imbalance.
Those who enjoy the right to freedom in all aspects of their lives, also have a crucial responsibility to ensure that their actions do not encroach upon the freedom of another person. It is a responsibility to help empower those who do not possess this freedom, and lend a strong voice to those, whose voices go unheard. Under the realm of freedom, every choice made has a consequence, and not making a choice also has a consequence.
Freedom of any kind, is therefore, a right, as well as an initiative. It is a sustainable structure within society. Upsetting the equilibrium between rights and responsibilities, is what leads to the inequities and inequalities in society today.