Something you don’t have to pay for? Not being physically restrained? Not under the control of another? Having civil/political liberty? Yes to all these, and more—freedom means different things to different people in different contexts.

  Have you ever asked yourself, am I free? If I’m not free, am I at least cheap? Cheap has more monetary value than free … but I digress. The point is that the “word” free is often ejected from our mouths in reference to lofty principles of which we might or might not have given consideration. If one were to ask people if they would die for freedom, the answer would likely be “yes.” But what is it that they would die for? There are those who travel to Amsterdam, Las Vegas, or Thailand to enjoy certain activities that are banned elsewhere. Is freedom about being able to gamble, smoke pot, or purchase teen prostitutes? Would you die for that? There are those who immigrate to start new lives.  Is freedom about being able to earn and keep your own money and run your own business? Would you die for that? There are numerous and constant struggles fought by oppressed groups to gain equality with their oppressors. Would you die for that?

 On a more pragmatic level, for many, freedom means the ability to go about daily life and make basic choices that contribute to self-actualization without hindrance. Choices such as where to live, work, shop, go to school; what career to enter; or who to marry. And then there are those for whom freedom mean having none of the aforementioned ties, or at least not have them binding enough to cause any sort of existential dilemma.  A tricky thing about the word “free” and the idea of “freedom” is the flexibility and broadness of their definitions, yet, a high value is placed on these often vague concepts.  On an idealistic level, freedom is thought by many to be worth paying the price of death.  On a more realistic level, freedoms are more barter and trade commodities. For example, the freedom the walk the streets late at night might be paid for by a loss of anonymity resulting from vigilant police. Gaining civil and political freedoms carries the price of increased civil and political responsibility. An individual who is free from the stresses of a relationship or children is also free from the security and joy they can bring. Are any of us ever really free? Is this free magazine about free free? And one last consideration: is it better to get two for the price of one or buy one get one free?

 previously publish in December 2006 Provokator print magazine

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