Freedom.

It is a relatively small word only seven letters. It is a word that is so easy to say, so easy to spell, so easy to read.

Yet is is so hard to define.

You can say, "Freedom... is not being enslaved."

But doesn't that go for everything? "Red is not blue." "Evil is not good." "Happy is not sad." "Calm is not chaotic." The list is endless.

Is freedom the ability to do whatever you want?

With that freedom, you'll be soon overwhelmed by your own greed, your desires, and your power... sometimes, it can drive a person mad! How many people in power gone corrupt? No, that is not freedom.

Most things can be defined by scientific means. Water is a compound of hydrogen and oxygen, happiness is a result of dopamine released from the brain...

But freedom... is not scientific. It's not even visible.

Yet, something that can't be touched or seen or heard has spawned a thousand movements, a thousand wars, a thousand revolts.

What is freedom?

Every time we cut ourselves from something, we find ourselves enslaved to something else.
Quit your job? Now you're a slave of finding another job.
When you finally find another job, you're a slave to that job.
When you retire, now you're a slave to your retirement.

This cycle happens repeatedly throughout our lives endlessly, ceaselessly. If there is no freedom, if we can't even see freedom, if we can't describe freedom... how can we even define freedom?

But... even though we can't put freedom into words... even though we can't see freedom.. even though we can't define freedom...

We can FEEL freedom. We can GIVE freedom. We KNOW freedom without being able to translate it into words.

How ironic.

Everyone views freedom differently. Suffragists viewed freedom as being able to vote without restraint. Black rights activists viewed freedom as being able to be an American citizen without restraint. Even children can have a say on freedom, and maybe view freedom as independence from parents.

Me?

Me, a Asian teen who can't even say, "Freedom" without revealing my Asian accent, know what philosophers and thinkers pondered upon their entire lives on yet fail to figure out? No, I do not know what freedom is. 

But what I could do right now is do what any other good teen can do - do good in school, help out with my community, and spend time with friends and family. Perhaps I may not know what freedom, or virture, or justice until I am older, or very old, or possibly not even know that at all! 

What I want to say to you is, is that don't just toss words around. Think about them. Protestors may hold up signs that say, "We want FREEDOM!" What is freedom? "I love my dog." Can you please define love? By that, I mean true love - not the kind you have a slight affection for. "Putin's a bad leader!" Oh, is that so? Then explain to me why he is bad. 

Currently, people just throw around words like confetti, but I wish people would put more thought into them. I sincerely wish to those who read this article would at least have a slight change in the philosophical side of their minds.

Now, I said my say.

It's your turn.

What is freedom?