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Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Question of the Day: Day 185

What responsibilities come with freedom and independence?

5 Comments:

Blogger David said...

Responsibility for yourself, as an individual. YOU are responsible for your actions, or lack thereof.

This is a fundemental misunderstanding in America today - people have delegate so much personal responsibility to government.

7/04/2006 8:58 AM  
Blogger b said...

IMO, independence requires us to say what we mean, do what we say, and not to say what we don't mean to do.

I also believe that independence requires us to understand what we stand for, and to stand up and accept the consequences of our beliefs and actions, right or wrong.

And, I further posit that independence requrires us to be compassionate (without limits) toward others' beliefs, and tolerant (with limits) toward others' behavior.

I do not believe that independence is fought for, nor is it defended - it is manifested and maintained through mindful living.

7/04/2006 9:19 AM  
Blogger Michelle said...

There are many possible answers to this question but my main focus is going to be that transition from being recognized as a child to an adult: turning 18.

Turning 18 (in the USA) gives one a certain measure of freedom and independence from one's parents but that usually also means financial independence as well so be prepared to support yourself.

Yes, you can stay up every single night until 2am if you choose to but if you have a day job and keep calling in sick then paying your rent may become quite a challenge.

Turning 18 is NOT always some magic number where the world gets all better and opportunities fall into your lap. You now face adult consequences if you break the law, you get to vote for your leader but that leader may very well send you off to fight a war that you do or do not believe in. You can buy a pack of cigarettes and you can start saving your money for the healthcare that you will need in 20 years if you keep smoking.

Freedom is never really "free" as there is always a price to be paid and a balance to be maintained.

The greater your freedom and independence are the more responsibilities that you will have.

7/04/2006 9:49 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

To be free is to have liberties & options~ to be able to choose and to be responsible for the choices/decisions "we" make. When I think about the word "free", I think of things that are not forced upon us, such as career choice, choosing a mate, deciding as to whether or not to become legally married, to or not to have children, geographical location, and political affairs.

When we are "free" we have options. The things we opt either to or not to do naturally have consequences - sometimes not until well down the road in time. If someone opts not to pay their bills, eventually, their wages will be garnished or they may have to go bankrupt at some later time or if one opts not to go to college, their future job options may be quite limited, for examples.
The decisions "we" make today will affect our tomorrows.

The word independent brings to mind self sufficiency- thus being able to choose whether or not to be in a partnership~ business, or personal based on want and NOT on need.

Sometimes, freedom & independence~ having so many options can be overwhelming/mind boggling, especially for young adults. Hopefully, by offering age appropriate options to children, we can help promote better decision making skills as they learn the consequences of their decisions early on, & have no one other than themselves to hold responsible for the results; after all, it was them who chose to take that mushy jelly sandwich to school for lunch. By offering uncomplicated choices earlly on, children are learning to think ahead about how things may turn out, and learn to be more confident in their own decision making skills.

7/04/2006 11:31 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Boy, I got here too late for this one it seems, but I'll add this:
Take the care and time to learn from your mistakes, while you're free to make them.

7/05/2006 8:33 AM  

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