Tastes like liberty, don't worry, we free.

A couple notes before the beginning:


1. I hope your new years revolution is alive and well and...


2. I feel like you can never have too much review of freedom so here goes...

Eagles love freedom too!

So yeah, freedom is awesome. I love freedom. I'm a natural born, cheese burger-eating, American flag waving, 4x4 truck driving, (Native) American. So I just wanted to share a few thoughts that I had on freedom recently.


Freedom was something that I had wanted to write a blog on for a long time but there seemed to be contradictions the more I thought about it. How can we become more free if we are living under so many rules? I knew that there had to be an answer to the questions I had. I found a huge piece of the puzzle several weeks ago as I was studying the subject in a talk given by Robert M. Wilkes, chairman of the Recreation Department at Brigham Young University-Idaho. He gave a wonderful analogy that contrasted the difference between freedom from and the freedom to do.

Darth Vader didn't really like those
Rebels at all...

Freedom from is the kind of freedom I most commonly think of. I think of freedom from oppression, from rules, from restrictions, and from having a downer time. Freedom from is incredibly important, I think our Founding Fathers definitely had this kind of freedom in mind when they set up the United States. The rebels in StarWars definitely had this kind of freedom in mind when they retaliated against the iron fist of Lord Vader and the former Chancellor Palpatine. But Brother Wilkes had some wise words for me as I read his talk. He says:


"Too often, we believe the myth that we are free to do whatever we want to do. True, most of us are free to develop any ability or skill we choose; but until we develop them, we remain in bondage to our own lack of capacity. Even in lands of great political freedom, I fear that many of us live in bondage. Misunderstanding the principle of freedom, we lead lives of limited capacity and, thus, diminished choice. We tell ourselves that the only reason we are not doing certain positive, productive things is that we don’t want to. If we don’t play the piano, for example, we like to think it’s because we don’t want to. Actually, we don’t play because we are not free to. Remember, if we are only free to choose one thing—that is, not to play—we are not really free."

"So freedom is not just freedom from—freedom from interference, restraint, responsibility—although there certainly are things we want to be free from. But the greatest freedom, the freedom of God, is the freedom to do.... God is the greatest of all beings because, for one thing, he is the most free of all beings. And he has invited us to become like him." (emphasis added)

I know that when we follow God's commandments we become more free. It sounds weird, I know. I didn't really understand it in the beginning but I now know a little bit more that that is true. Try it and see for yourself. We all have the ability to do what we want, which is a huge responsibility, but I know that when we sincerely progress towards God through His commandments we will feel the most fulfillment. Progression doesn't come from having more posessions or power, not that those things are evil, but it comes from when we, as human beings, are able to use this time here on earth for what it was intended, to help one another out and "prepare to meet God"- Alma 34:32.