Freedom is one of those words that I think a lot of us take for granted and the part where we have transitioned to seeking our own liberties and look to share them with others (by hook or by crook) was not something I expected to find honestly. It’s culturally a good thing that we’re there… but I hope it’s, as a country, not a bad thing that we’re now more concerned with our freedom to smoke where we want than we are about our freedoms that make us a great country.

This post also ignores the responsibilities that go with freedoms. I had to end the post somewhere lol.

I did a similar search for definitions, but I didn’t take it as far as you did by immortalizing my finds in an easily archived/retrieved blog post, and so I really appreciate this! It helps affirm a distinction I eventually came to as well, or to be more accurate, a decision on how I would now use both words with more awareness in my vocabulary and language of intention.

As you point out, I too see liberty as the freedom from someone or something when a person is not in full control of effecting their own change. On the other hand, I think freedom can be completely within our control: It may be difficult, but we can be more self-reliant, and hold ourselves fully accountable for achieving things like financial freedom, freedom from a certain responsibility, or the freedom from a hurtful relationship. I like thinking of freedom as a virtue because it is so aspirational that way, and well, virtuous.

And there is this marvelous freedom to decide on our own definitions, as will be most useful to us! It is the “ultimate freedom” as our freedom of choice, and the full liberty we all have within our right to choose.
.-= Rosa Say´s last blog ..The Tech Life of a Manager, 2010 and Beyond =-.