Gifted With Freedom

December 10, 2013 9:03 AM

What does it mean to be free? What does freedom mean to me? How can someone be free with all the rules of society? Does doing what you want to do when you want to do it being free? Think about those questions throughout this reading The Wonder Of Freedom We all want it It's something we treasure It's one of the great wonderful things of life People have given their lives for it Others have feared it Some will surrender it to others because they don't want to carry the responsibility For With Freedom Comes Responsibility Catholics believe that individuals cannot think of being a moral person without freedom You can't have moral values if you can't choose to do good or bad things. (Without freedom) Freedom as the Capacity to say No to God Freedom can deny its greatest group Freedom has the capacity to turn us away from God Christians and Jews have always called this 'Sin' Freedom involves the core of human existence, 'choice'. And this choice is at the heart of our relationship with God. Freedom can go contrary to its own source and in effect destroy itself. (Therefore freedoms reach is infinite Eve - Book of Genesis: The servant entices the woman with the promise 'God knows when you the fruit, your eyes will opened and you will be like God in knowing good and evil. Reaching out to God, freedom is known to over reach which makes us insist we are God. This concept of wanting to be like God highlights a mimetic desire coming from a place of pride rather than an authentic yearning for awareness. Act, dress, and look like someone/something because we want to be them. Mimetic desire - The desire to be like God. (Adam and Eve wanting to be like God) Highlights the mimetic desire coming from a place of pride instead of an authentic yearning for awareness. They ate the apple to become like God but without the responsibility. Freedom as the Capacity of the Human Self Descartes discovered that the self was a capacity that can think and doubt freely. I am free to think I can see God as a competitor I am infinite and can do without God What sets us apart from the animal kingdom, and distinguishes us as being more than the sum of our protein parts? We have a capacity that sets is not genetically controlled, this capacity set us apart from the animal kingdom. Freedom Our capacity to act. Reveals itself when we struggle against our limits.
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Reveals itself when we struggle against our limits. Ex. Nelson Mandela Worked very hard for his freedom; without responsibility, freedom is hollow. Recognizing the Self as Free Discovering the self as a free 'agent' was a momentous historical event. Descartes discovered/thought of himself as a thinking and doubting 'eye'. The eye was the beginning of realizing that we were individuals. "I am free to become myself despite all the constraints around me." The self is not an object. It is the power and energy within us Philosopher Spinoza - Effort to exist Philosopher Rekoar - Desire and effort to exist This desire and effort to exist lies within our capacity to act. Closely connected with freedom and choice. This capacity is most evident when person makes a promise or commitment. With freedom, a person can have a say in what the future looks like. They can say: I'm free to become myself despite the constraints around me. I have the capacity to take a initiative, to begin something that will have an impact on me for the rest of my life. Basic/Core freedom - The most sacred capacity of freedom. In Catholic moral theology it is often called basic, or core, freedom. It is "A force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness." It attains it's perfection when directed toward God. The recognition of the self as free has been both a blessing and, at times, a curse. Blessed in the west with the discovery of freedoms which previously have gone undetected in history. Freedom of speech: Something a lot of us take for granted. It hasn't always been this way. In this point in history we have begun to understand ourselves as individuals who have a right to dignity and respect. This discovery has protected individuals from authoritarian governments, who assume that they govern by divine right and sometimes that costs some people their lives because they fought for it. It helped societies to recognize intolerable conditions such as slavery, child labour, subjugation of women, torture, persecution for practicing religion, etc. This whole thing began a process of liberation. The very movements that recognized the rights and freedoms of the individual are so based on self-interest that they do not give the same impetus to responsibility as they do to freedom. Individualism has isolated people from one another and from the bonds of communities, spawning icons such as the entrepreneur who through sheer will power forges his/her way ahead regardless of what happens to others. (Particularly those incapable of defending themselves.) Think for instance: The success of multinational million dollar corporations like Nike that exploits workers and countries without labor codes in order to cut costs. Cases such as this, individuals and societies have claimed the rights of the individual without assuming corresponding responsibility. (This is where freedom goes wrong) Freedom is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that, and so to perform deliberate actions on one's own responsibility. By free will one shapes one's own life. - CCC #1731 Gifted With Freedom
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Gifted With Freedom Freedom Freo (To love, enlighten, and endear not to be in bondage to another) Crisis (Greek Krisis: A time of decision; a turning point. Signifying a change for better/worse) Kairos (Greek word meaning "The right of opportune time to do something) A crisis, therefore, may also be a Kairos, a grace or blessing in disguise. Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 example of Crisis as Kairos To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck up which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; A time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; A time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; A time of war, and a time of peace; Positive Developments from the Discovery of the Self as Free Descartes - Recognition of the 'I' as separate from the world making everything else into object. The formation of modern science 'Object' could be studied, dissected, and analyzed. Out of this knew found ability also came scientific studies of the human psychy, and human communities in psychology & sociology. One branch of human psychology developed mental psychology, a studied the pattern of growth of the human personality and identity. Developmental psychology shows how over a lifetime, our personal freedom can either mature or declined depending on how we respond to challenges in our lives. Over a lifetime, our personal freedom can either mature or decline depending on how we respond to the different challenges of life. Erik Ericson - Cycle Social Stage Theory: Personality development occurs as we develop physically and cognitively; as our bodies and our minds develop. This development takes place as a result of socialization by parents, teachers, and influential members of society. Our personal growth is bounced up at every level with our relationship with those around us. Discovered a pattern to this psychological and social growth he proposed that this process occurs in 8 stages and spans throughout one's entire lifetime. Each stage of life presents us with a unique and specific challenge. For Erikson, each of these stages in one's life is precipitated by a crisis. These crises are important for human growth. 1) Trust versus mistrust a) Learn from caregivers to either trust or mistrust others. b) Success in this stage occurs when a child learns to trust others i) For this success to occur, the child's needs must be met timely, with little anxiety and fear as possible for the future. 2) Autonomy versus shame and doubt
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2) Autonomy versus shame and doubt a) Development of independence b) Learns the power of saying 'no' i) If a child is allowed to experiment with this need for independence, he or she will most likely develop feelings of shame or doubt. ii) Too much liberty, on the other hand, may be detrimental because the child does not develop healthy boundaries. iii) Erikson believed that the development of independence during this stage was extremely important if teens and young adults were to be independent thinkers. 3) Initiative versus Guilt a) First year of school i) Child feels like they have expectations ii) It is important at this stage that the child experiences the belief that "I can do this!" 4) Industry versus inferiority a) As the cognitive abilities of the child advance, she or he acquires a great love and excitement for learning. i) At no time in life is imagination more powerful and active ii) At this stage, the energy of a child is focused on discovering all about the world in which they live, how things work, and what they can do to make things happen. 5) Identity versus identity confusion a) Young people question "Who am I?" i) Direction in life ii) Future iii) Place in society b) Teachers and Parents are important at this time 6) Intimacy versus isolation a) As individuals enter the early adult years they are faced with the challenge of 'crisis' of forming intimate relationships with others. b) Without the development of intimacy, the individual can face a life up to isolation. 7) Generativity versus stagnation a) As individuals enter into their mid-life years, they become aware of a need to make a productive contribution to the younger generation. b) The failure to make a contribution to the lives of the younger generation can lead to the feelings of stagnation. i) They often become paralyzed with the thought of their lives meaning nothing to those who come forward to them. 8) Integrity versus despair a) Is the stage that occurs when an individual approaches the 'end' of their life. They begin to take 'stock' of what they've done in life. b) They evaluate the choices they have made and attempt to see the worth of their life. c) If they have been successful with the crises' and the kairos of each stage, they will feel a sense of integrity. When they look back they will see a life well spent, a life rich in friendships, a life where they'd made contributions to others, and a life given freely to what they value and love. i) Without this successful resolution of each crisis, a sense of despair arises, fed by feelings of doubt and sorrow. Lawrence Kohlberg - Cognitive psychologist that applied developmental psychology specifically to moral development.
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moral development. Pre-conventional moral thinking Decisions (moral) made off of fear of punishment Conventional moral thinking Trust, caring, loyalty, become more central Rules followed out of respect for others Post-conventional moral thinking Common good Laws/obligation = Less important Harmful Effects from discovery of free self: Growing atheism - God is Dead Individual isolation Autonomism - "A law unto myself"

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